Back to Before
by LadyLapis
Summary: When Kurama's girlfriend is pulled into the past by a group of mysterious demons, he, Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei follow after her to the Warring States Era. With the help of the InuYasha gang, and even Youko Kurama himself, they must stop these demons from carrying out a centuries-old revenge plan that brings the spirit fox's past back to haunt him.
1. Chapter 1: A little research

_[Author note: Hello readers!_ _I was trying to do the National Novel Writing Challenge last fall, and my compilation of horror stories kind of dissolved into writing a fanfiction crossover between my two favorite nostalgia animes, InuYasha and Yu Yu Hakusho, just to make the 50,000 word goal._ _I figured I might as well put it on this site, even though I've shamelessly shoved an OC in the middle of everything._ _I hope you enjoy the read!_ _If you have any questions or constructive criticism about character behavior or plot points, please let me know since I'd love to gain experience and advice as a writer.]_

Tomoe woke up in a cold sweat. Just like every morning for the past month. It was the same dream. She'd had the exact same dream every night for a month now. The roar of the ocean waves as they thundered against the cliffs of the hidden cove, the small desolate island with the black cherry tree in the center, the hands suddenly bursting up from the ground to grab at her… it had to mean something. Her grandfather had yet to start making tea, so she knew it was still early. She figured he wouldn't care if she went to school early. There was someone she needed to see.

She waited in the slowly-filling lecture hall of the University for what seemed like an eternity before the tall figure of Kazuma Kuwabara walked into the lecture hall. He was always late, the lump. She watched as he scanned the room to find a decent spot, close enough to the front to show he was paying attention, but far enough away that he wouldn't get called on, or noticed if he fell asleep. He still hadn't noticed her. Tomoe knew how to get his attention, though. All she had to do was flex her demonic energy a tiny bit. No one in the lecture hall could feel it, save for those with incredibly high spirit awareness. Kazuma visibly jumped and looked around until he saw her. Tomoe gave him a glare, then jerked her head toward the seat next to her.

"You don't take this class, Momo." Kazuma said as he slumped in the seat. "Don't talk to me yet, I haven't had my energy drink this morning."

"I had that dream again." She said, ignoring him.

"And she never listens to me. You're as bad as Urameshi sometimes, you know that?" Kazuma cracked open the aluminum can in his hand and took a loud gulp. "Have you talked to Genkai about it?"

"Yeah, she says I need to go find the tree I keep seeing." Tomoe shrugged. "But exams are coming up, I don't have time. And I called Shizuru, thanks for getting me her number by the way, but she couldn't help. wither"

"Maybe the cherry tree is somewhere in Spirit World or Demon World." Kazuma said thoughtfully. "I bet if you ask Botan she can help."

"I'm sure she's busy doing Grim Reaper things." Tomoe said dryly. More sleepy students were filing into the lecture hall, so she lowered her voice accordingly so as not to be overheard. "Besides, now that the Spirit Detective program has been dissolved, she's back to her day job. If it's in Demon World, I'd know by now." She frowned. "I asked Jin and Toya to send some feelers out months ago. It's not there."

"What does Kurama say?" Kazuma crushed the can in his hand and stuffed it in his backpack to recycle later. "He's pretty ancient, you'd think he'd seen something weird like a black cherry tree before. And since he's a plant expert…"

"He's been surprisingly unhelpful." Tomoe growled. "He thinks the cherry tree isn't real, that it's a symbol my subconscious mind is making up. But I know it's real. It has to be. It's been the same in every single dream, never changing. That can't mean it's a 'symbol'." She was about to say more, but the professor stepped into the room to begin the lecture and the lights dimmed. Kazuma dutifully got out his laptop, and Tomoe got out a notebook and a pencil, pretending to take notes on something she had no clue about. She hoped it wasn't a math lecture. Math was definitely not her strong point.

"What is this class again?" She hissed.

"History of the Samurai Warrior." Kazuma said excitedly. "I'm gonna get a minor in history. This stuff is so cool."

"I bet Kurama could help you study since he lived it." Tomoe smirked. The smirk died on her face, however, when the projector finally warmed up and the opening slide changed to show a classical woodcut print of a woman. True, it was in the stylized fashion of traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, but the long black hair and dark gray eyes looked incredibly familiar. She felt Kazuma tense beside her as well, but didn't look at him. Her eyes were fixed on the woman in the centuries-old portrait. It was almost like looking in a mirror, She was _too_ familiar.

"Anyone who follows the history of the Samurai can tell me who this woman is." The professor said. "Tomoe Gozen, born around 1527, died 1557 in the Battle of Uchida Bridge. She was a general under Minamoto Yoshinaka, and renown for both beauty and bravery in battle. Today's lecture will be about Tomoe and the other Onna-Bugeisha, female samurai of history who all achieved renown in their own way…"

"Momo, I gotta ask. Is that you?" Kazuma asked quietly as the presentation continued.

"No?" Tomoe whispered. "I… don't think so. It couldn't be. Tomoe Gozen was human, and I'm not." Still, she felt suddenly cold. The next slide showed Tomoe Gozen, armed with a bow and arrow, standing beside a sacred shrine. Inside an alcove in the shrine was an elaborate necklace with a large round pendant.

"Tomoe Gozen was originally brought to Shimeji Castle to guard the Kiku no Tomoe neckace: an artifact presumed to have given the wearer, upon his death, to achieve reincarnation into a more powerful form. I assume Yoshinaka had a sense of humor, sending a woman to guard a necklace with the same name. Upon her first night on guard, he was surprised to find that she was more than capable of the job he had assigned to her."

"That symbol…" Tomoe pointed. "It's the same…"

"The same as your reflector thingy, right?" Kazuma asked. "Wow, that's pretty coincidental."

"Something tells me this isn't a coincidence." Tomoe said in a low voice. "I'm going to the library. Meet me there after class."

"And what if I have something to do?" Kazuma snorted. "I was thinkin' about taking Yukina to the movies."

"I wasn't asking." Tomoe glared at him before grabbing her backpack and leaving the dark lecture hall.

Kazuma Kuwabara prided himself on not being afraid of much. He didn't like heights, he wasn't a fan of creepy crawlies, but he'd deal with them. However, one thing he had reason to fear was an angry woman. His sister, Keiko, Botan and Tomoe had pretty much beaten that into him. So, despite his original wish to take Yukina to the movies, he ended up at the library. Tomoe was waiting for him expectantly with a big stack of books.

"Summer reading?" He sneered as he sank into a seat at her table.

"Nope. Research." Tomoe pushed the first large tome over to him. "I wanna know everything there is to know about Tomoe Gozen. This coincidence is freaking me out, Kazuma. I have to make sure it's just a coincidence."

Kazuma stopped his teasing. Tomoe looked really nervous. That didn't happen much. First the dreams, and now this Tomoe Gozen business… it must really be bothering her. He sighed and opened the book.

"All right. You're lucky I'm a nice guy, Momo."

"You're a prince among men." Tomoe rolled her eyes and went back to her books.

Kazuma wanted to help Tomoe put this myth to rest. It was cramping his social life. People were starting to think they were dating. Tomoe was so not his type. Besides, he would always be loyal to his beloved Yukina. That went without saying.

He was looking through the books with surprising speed, trying to find some kind of clue to wave in his friend's face as a way of saying 'ha, see? You're all worked up for nothin'. You can pay me back by getting me the next Megallica album for my birthday.' He turned another page, and stopped.

This was unexpected.

"Momo?" He turned the book to face her. "I think you oughta see this."

Tomoe looked up at the painting in the book, and her face went white.

It was a painting of Tomoe Gozen, all decked out in armor and prepared for battle. The Kiku no Tomoe necklace was around her neck. But beside her, crouched to spring upon some imaginary prey and gleaming silver like moonlight, was…

"A spirit fox." Tomoe said in a shaky voice.

"Yeah." Kazuma couldn't think of anything else to say. "You don't think that's Kurama, do you?"

"Do you know of any other spirit foxes?" Tomoe read the description of the painting.

"Tomoe and the Kitsune, by Shitomi Kangetsu in 1747. This painting depicts the legend that the legendary Samurai Tomoe Gozen had tamed a fox spirit to fight at her side… Kazuma."

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna kill him, Kazuma."

"Who are we talking about again?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about, you idiot." Tomoe snapped a picture of the book with her phone. "Kurama's been keeping something from me, and I'm going to find out what." She stood up, and Kazuma winced at the angry energy pulsing around her.

"Keep doing research. I'll call later to ask what you found." She said.

"H-hey, wait a minute, I'm not your slave!" Kazuma stammered. "I've got a math test to study for!"

"I'll buy you that Megallica album you want if you do." Tomoe looked at him evenly. "Please."

"Yeah yeah, I'll do it." Kazuma sighed. She knew his weakness for heavy metal. "Can I stop after like two more books, though? I really want to get some lunch."

"Sure." Tomoe said. "See you later. I'm going fox hunting." She pulled on her coat, shouldered her bag, and left the library, trying not to let on how angry she was. Kurama had been keeping secrets. He would be sorry.


	2. Chapter 2: Fox hunting

"Hey Suichi, I think I saw your girlfriend out front." Hojo Takebe, CEO of Takebe Shipping, stopped by his stepson's desk. The redheaded young man looked up from his computer.  
"You did?" He asked. "That's odd… she's usually at the University this time of day. Are you sure it was her, Father?"  
"Quite sure." Takebe said, examining the small framed picture on Suichi's desk. "Yes, it's Tomoe all right. And she looks a little upset. It's almost lunchtime, Suichi. Why don't you go see what's bothering her?" He gave a kind smile. "You two fighting or something?"  
It wasn't like Tomoe to be visibly upset about anything. That struck Kurama as odd. Had something happened at the University?  
"If we are, it's the first I've heard of it." He stood and went to get his jacket. "I'll be back in an hour."  
"Take your time." Takebe said, patting him fondly on the shoulder. "I'll give you an extra half hour if you pick up some lunch for me from Iwasaki's diner."  
"You drive a hard bargain." Suichi chuckled.

He saw her pacing beside the reception desk. His steps slowed before he completely rounded the corner, and he quietly gauged her movements. She hadn't seen him yet. She was definitely agitated about something. Her arms were folded, her steps quicker than usual. But what was there to be angry about? She sometimes came to see him to rant for a while, but normally she came after classes were over. If she was skipping class, it meant something was urgent. Well, the only way to find out was to talk to her. He quickened his steps, as though he had just walked out of the elevator and hadn't been waiting and watching for a few minutes.

"Tomoe, you're here early." He kept his voice light and his pace casual. The dark-haired woman turned and frowned at him.  
"Suichi, we need to talk. Now." Tomoe said.  
"Father told me you were here, so I took a lunch break." He said. "Let's take a walk." He offered his arm, but she didn't take it. He settled for placing a hand on her back as they left the building.

"What's this about?" He asked, concerned. They had chosen a busy street to walk down. No one would care to eavesdrop on them here amid all the other commotion. From the doors of the building to now, Tomoe had not said a word.  
"I had that dream again." She said finally.  
"Is that what this is all about?" Kurama asked. He watched her carefully to gauge her reaction. "You've spoken to Genkai, Shizuru, and even Hiei about it."  
"I sat with Kazuma in his History of the Samurai class today to talk to him, too." Tomoe went on, changing the subject. Kurama started to feel uneasy. History of the Samurai… the black cherry tree she'd been dreaming about… he had a feeling he knew where this was going, and he didn't like it one bit. His suspicions were confirmed when she pulled out her phone and showed him a photo of a textbook.

"That's you. Isn't it." She zoomed in to the silver fox in the painting. Kurama looked at the image for a long time, then sighed.  
"Yes." He couldn't lie to her. She already knew it was him, it made no sense to deny it.  
"Then who is this?" Tomoe zoomed into the female Samurai in the portrait. "You knew Tomoe Gozen, didn't you?"  
Kurama nodded slowly. "When you live as long as I have, you run into the occasional historical figure."  
"There was a legend that says she 'tamed' a fox spirit to stay at her side." Tomoe pressed. "I think you did a little more than 'ran into her'." She looked up at him accusingly.  
"There's something you're not telling me, Kurama." She said. "Do you just have a thing for women named Tomoe? We look the same, maybe you're with me as a substitute because you can't get over her or something."  
"That's ridiculous, Tomoe and you know it." Kurama soothed. Maybe she was just jealous of Tomoe Gozen. He could fix things if she was jealous easily enough. A little extra attention and reassurance and she'd be happy again.

"Do I?" Tomoe laughed coldly. "You know the story of Tomoe Gozen, so why haven't you ever told me? What's the connection between the two of us?"  
Kurama sighed again. No, no this wasn't just jealousy. She was starting to put together the pieces of a puzzle he didn't want to see. He knew he couldn't say no to her now. Not with her worked up like this. She was nearly as stubborn as Yusuke when it came down to it. He turned to her, placing his hands on her shoulders so she would look up at him.

"I'll tell you the whole story tonight. I promise." He said in resignation. "But I need to go back to work now."  
"A convenient excuse." Tomoe muttered. "Fine. Pick me up from school at 5:30."  
"I won't be late." He promised. Pulling her close for a brief embrace, he smiled down at her. "I should have told you a long time ago, anyway."  
Tomoe didn't return the hug or the smile. He knew she wouldn't.  
"5:30." He said again, then turned to go back to the office.

"What do you mean, she never came back?" Kurama had hunted Kuwabara down after he had driven to the University and Tomoe hadn't been waiting for him like she promised.  
"We saw that picture in the book, she got mad and left, and I haven't seen her since this morning." Kuwabara shrugged. "I thought she was with you!" He frowned. "And what's with all this Tomoe Gozen stuff? The pictures look an awful lot like her, AND there's a legend that says she tamed a spirit fox! And since you're the only one I know… what's going on here?" He plodded along beside Kurama. "C'mon, you can tell me, buddy! I hate bein' out of the loop! What's going on?"  
"It's… complicated." Kurama finally said. "And I'd rather not go into it just now, to be honest. First, I'd like to figure out where Tomoe is." He got out his phone and began to scroll through his contacts to find Kaito's number. "She may have gone to Kaito to see if he has any books in his collection about it. You call Yusuke to see if he knows anything."  
"Come on, why don't you call him?" Kuwabara sighed. "All I've been doing today is playing butler for Tomoe, and now you come along and—"  
"I wasn't asking, Kuwabara." There was something in that low note in Kurama's voice that Kuwabara really didn't like.


	3. Chapter 3: The black cherry tree

[Author Note: Sorrynotsorry, but no YYH fanfic would be complete without Koenma and George being comic relief. And now we get to see Momo fight!]

Bingeing. That was what the humans call it, apparently. Koenma didn't know why. But it was true that he had been glued to his monitor for two days now. The storyline playing out was too good to miss.  
"Please sir, you haven't stamped anything all day!" George put another stack of forms on his desk.  
"Shhh! I'm watching, Ogre!" Koenma scolded. "Anyway, did you bring me my popcorn?"  
"Yes, sir." George sighed and placed the bowl on his boss's desk. "And the file you asked for on Tomoe Gozen. We had to retrieve it from the archives." He blew some dust off of an ancient-looking scroll and handed it over.  
"Hand it over, you big blue idiot!" Koenma snapped impatiently. He made to open it, but realized he would miss what was happening on screen. So he set it aside and kept watching.

The monitor showed Tomoe on her disc-like reflector, soaring only a few feet over the choppy ocean waves. It was in the early hours of the morning in human world. She had been camping out for the past two days, as evidenced by her mud-stained raincoat and the heavy backpack on her back.  
"She's dedicated." He mused. "I can't decide if this is a good thing or not."  
"I wonder what she's looking for…" said George.  
"The black cherry tree from the dream she's been having, haven't you been watching the past few episodes?" Koenma snapped.  
"Days, sir."  
"Huh?"  
"You said 'episodes'. You mean 'days', don't you? This isn't a TV show."  
"Oh." Koenma blinked. "Right. Of course. Days."

Suddenly, the demon on the screen paused. Before her was a small cleft between the rocks, maybe ten feet wide. The waves crashed in and out of the opening, creating a thunderous roar.  
"Why is she stopping, sir?" Asked George. "Do you think she's found what she's been looking for?"  
"Shut up and watch, Ogre, or leave!" growled Koenma.  
Tomoe made a bee-line for the crack in the cliff as if she knew exactly where she was going. It was a tight fit, with sheer, algae-slicked stone walls on either side, but she seemed to know exactly when to veer left or right. The fissure finally opened up into a lagoon where a river burst forth into the ocean.

"I don't believe it." Koenma breathed.  
"Is that an island?" George peered closer at the screen. Tomoe had stopped, floating ten feet above the water, and was staring at a tree on a small rocky islet in the lagoon. But the blooms on this tree, instead of a soft pink or white, were jet black like ink.  
"It's real." Koenma said in surprise. "But why has she been dreaming about it?"  
"Master Koenma, sir!" Another ogre burst in through the doors. "There's an urgent-"  
"NOT NOW." Koenma yelled. He watched as Tomoe came in slowly to land, almost hesitantly, on the islet. She looked troubled, and stepped slowly closer to the tree.  
"Sir, look! There's something carved into the tree!" George pointed at a blurry bit of pixels on the trunk. "Enhance!"

Somehow the view cleared up, revealing the circular emblem and a small kanji carved beneath it.  
"It's the symbol that's on her reflector." Koenma said softly. "And that sign says 'tomoe'. There's a connection here, I just know it…"

Slowly, Tomoe reached out and touched the symbol on the tree.  
Suddenly, the islet around her began to shake. Tomoe backed up as the tree quivered. Black petals and blooms began to fall around her like rain. The ancient trunk twisted with a groan and split, emitting a glowing light.  
"What is that?" Koenma breathed. "Tomoe, get out of there! Something's not right!"  
Tomoe seemed to be frozen on the spot as a massive figure lurched out of the split in the tree. It was shaped like a samurai in armor, but it was coated in rust and dirt. Its massive frame seemed human, and yet as it contorted and grew in size it was clear that, even if it had once been human, it was human no longer. It walked closer to the woman.  
"Why isn't she moving, sir? Has it paralyzed her somehow?" George asked nervously. "Oh, I can't watch! Poor Tomoe!"  
"Shut up!" Koenma kicked out at the ogre, then scrambled onto his desk to get a better view.

As the figure neared Tomoe, she finally realized that she needed to fight. With a flick of her wrist, her reflector reappeared, gleaming in the sun and spinning like a sawblade. She yelled and charged the figure.  
Despite her power and strength, the figure batted the reflector away easily. With a sweep of its arm, it sent Tomoe careening aross the lagoon. She hit the cliff wall on the other side with an impact that made Koenma wince.  
"You shouldn't hit a lady like that!" George cried. Tomoe sank down into the water.  
"She'll drown…" Koenma said. "Wait… hang on…" He watched as Tomoe burst forth from the water on her reflector. She was angry, and despite the gash at her temple was ready for a fight. However, as she neared to strike, the samurai held up a massive sword to block the onslaught of her reflector. The rotating mirror hummed with energy as it was sent flipping end over end back into the water. Tomoe summoned her reflector back to her and went to attach again, but the samurai gripped her around the throat with surprising speed and threw her to the ground. His other fist came down hard against her stomach.

"YOU DON'T HIT LADIES LIKE THAT!" George wailed. Koenma was about to throw the remote at his big blue head, but more movement happened on the screen. The armored figure raised a gauntlet in the air. The prone form of Tomoe, bruised and bleeding, levitated and floated into his arms.  
"What's he doing?" Koenma asked. "And another thing, who the devil IS that?"  
"He's kidnapping her, whoever he is!" George said. "Look!"  
The figure held Tomoe gently in his arms, but she did not move. He walked back to the glowing gash in the black cherry tree, and, still carrying Tomoe, stepped inside. Once he had vanished, the tree twisted back to its normal state. The glowing died away. It was as if no one had been to that tiny barren island at all.

Koenma stared at the screen in astonishment.  
"Th-they're gone." George breathed.  
"I can see that, Ogre." Koenma said. "Get Yusuke on the phone."  
"Shouldn't we call Kurama first, sir? Seeing as Tomoe is his girlfriend?" George asked.  
"I'm not ready to deal with him yet. I'd rather face Yusuke, to be honest." Koenma groaned. "Let's start with him. And be quick about it."


	4. Chapter 4: Secrets revealed

"Why do you want me in here, sir?" Botan asked. "I've got appointments to keep." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, trying not to check her watch.  
"Ayame can handle them." Koenma said nervously. "I need you in here as a buffer, Botan."  
"A buffer?" Botan narrowed her eyes at him. "Against what, exactly?"  
"WHERE'S THE PACIFIER BITCH?!" A voice yelled.  
"Not what." Koenma gulped. "But who."

Yusuke Urameshi kicked open the Koenma's office doors, which fell off of their hinges. Kurama and Kuwabara were with them, and none of them looked happy to be there.  
"What's going on here?" Botan asked. "Why are you all here? There aren't any threats to living world lately, so what's all the fuss?"  
"You mean you don't know what happened? I thought all you Spirit World people knew everything." Yusuke groused.  
"Where is Tomoe?" Kurama asked. "Tell us what you know, Koenma."  
The spirit fox knew just how to glare to make Koenma shudder. He had read Kurama's file. He knew what brutality he was capable of.  
"Well… w-we don't know." He said.  
"What do you mean you don't know?" Yusuke growled. "You said over the phone that you saw her get kidnapped, so why haven't you sent your henchmen to figure it out?"  
"Don't you think we've been trying?" Koenma frowned. "We'll replay the footage for you. Maybe one of you can make sense of this." He looked at Kurama as he said this. "Play the tape, Ogre."  
"Tape?" Kuwabara said with disdain. "It's 2016, don't you use blu-rays by now?"  
"I'm surprised you graduated from Betamax." Yusuke quipped dryly.

They watched the scene in silence, from Tomoe's searching of the cliffs to the moment the figure carried her into the tree.  
"So the tree IS real!" Kuwabara gaped at the footage. "But who's the robot dude?"  
"Just because he's wearing metal armor doesn't mean he's a robot, genius." Yusuke said.  
"I recognize that armor." Kurama said, his eyes narrowing.  
"Hang on, you do?" Yusuke turned to look at his friend.  
"Then who is it?" Koenma asked. "The insignias on his armor are too oxidized, and we can't enhance our video recording enough to make it out."  
"That is the armor of Uchida Ieyoshi." Kurama said quietly. "I knew of him a long time ago."  
"I remember that name from Tomoe's research on Tomoe Gozen." Kuwabara frowned. "So you DO know what's going on between Tomoe Gozen and Tomoe Kanzaki, don't you?"  
"Now isn't the best time to rant, Kuwabara." Yusuke said.  
"On the contrary." Koenma corrected. "If Kurama knows something that would help us locate Tomoe, now would be the perfect time to tell us."  
"Well, share with the class." Yusuke said.  
Kurama looked from his friends, to the last image anyone had seen of his girlfriend on the monitor. He knew he had been keeping this secret for far too long.

 _Tomoe Gozen was a renown beauty of her time. With long black hair, pale skin and even features, she had garnered the attention of more than one man in her day. But she was not interested in men for the time being. Human men, anyway.  
She walked without fear into the forest, even though it was the middle of the night and wolves howled in the distance. She had something more fearsome than wolves on her side. Soon, he appeared, his hair gleaming like silver in the moonlight.  
"There you are." Said Youko Kurama. "What news do you have of Yoshinaka?"  
"He will not listen to me." Tomoe said darkly. "He insists on fighting Ieyoshi. It is pointless." She looked troubled. "His army outnumbers ours ten to one. It will not be a battle, it will be a slaughter."  
"Enough of that." Youko held out his arms, and Tomoe walked into them. She rested her head against his chest, and he pulled her close to him. She was strong for a human, but to him she was frail and easily broken. He tried not to think of that.  
"I will be by your side. You know that." He said softly.  
"I know." Tomoe looked up at him and pulled something out of the pocket of her kimono. "But I don't want you to come to harm because of me. That is why…"  
"Tomoe, is that…?" Youko looked down at the pendant she held in her hands.  
"You know very well it is." Tomoe smiled, but it did not reach her dark eyes. "A year ago, I would have rather died than handed it over to a demon. But now…" She sighed. "Yoshinaka is a madman. He does not deserve to have this." She pushed the Kiku no Tomoe pendant into his hands. "I would rather you wear this. I don't want anything to happen to you. I am not permitted to leave Yoshinaka's service, so this is my last act of defiance before I die."  
"You will not die, Tomoe. Stop saying that." Youko said sharply. "I will be there to protect you."  
"If you say so." Tomoe sighed. "We will meet tomorrow at dawn, on the Shinshu plains." She stifled a yawn. "I should get back to the castle to rest."  
"I will accompany you." Youko purred as he walked by her side. "If we are to face death in the morning, shouldn't we spend one last night together?"  
"Ah, my foolish fox." Tomoe smiled. Again, it did not reach her eyes. "Of course."_

"So you and Tomoe Gozen were lovers?" Botan said in surprise.  
"But she died at the battle of Uchida Bridge." Kuwabara said. "I found, like, ten books that said so. Why did she tell you Shinshu plains?"  
"She was lying." Kurama said softly. "She didn't want me to be harmed, so she gave me a false location that was far from the true battle. By the time I figured it out, it was too late to save her."  
"So, what about _our_ Tomoe?" Pressed Yusuke. "What does she have to do with Tomoe Gozen?"  
"She is Tomoe Gozen reincarnated." Kurama explained. "I believe that Ieyoshi has been revived as a demon fueled by vengeance for the woman who killed him. That is why he has kidnapped Tomoe. As for where he has taken her… I do not believe it is a 'where' we are seeking, but a 'when'."  
"Woah, woah, woah. Time out." Yusuke frowned. "You mean he took her to another time?"  
"Back to his time. The Warring States Era." Kurama said. "By taking the reincarnation of Tomoe Gozen with him and killing her, he will be able to seek proper revenge." He turned his eyes, suddenly cold, toward Koenma. The ruler of spirit world promptly hid behind Botan.  
"Which is why you will help us get back there to save her, won't you Koenma?" He narrowed his eyes, as if daring Koenma to say no.  
"But the tree thingy closed up." Kuwabara said. "How are we supposed to get back in time?"  
"You're saying that like it's possible or something." Yusuke growled. "This sciency stuff is making my head hurt."  
"What DOESN'T make your head hurt, Yusuke?" Koenma countered. "At any rate, there may be a way for the three of you to travel back to rescue Tomoe. But…"  
"But?" Kurama repeated, raising an eyebrow in challenge.  
"But… but the case we've been monitoring is a very delicate manner…" Koenma stammered, "A-and we'd have to reveal ourselves to the Higurashi family…"  
"But haven't they had their fair share of comings and goings, sir?" Asked George. "And if we send Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama to ask Kagome and Inuyasha for help, perhaps they can find Tomoe more quickly…"  
"How long have you been here, blue ninny?" Koenma yelped in surprise.  
"I just wanted to help!" George protested. "Plus I don't want Kurama mad at me…"  
Koenma was fuming. But he truly had no choice.  
"Very well." He said. "Botan will come with you to the Higurashi residence to debrief the family. But once you are in the Warring States Era, I will no longer be able to help you. You will each be granted two trips through the Bone Eater's Well. A trip there and a trip back. Tomoe will be granted a single trip, back to this time period. No need to give her an extra. These are expensive, you know."  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Yusuke asked.  
"I will explain things on the way." Kurama said. "Now, Koenma, when will we be permitted to go?"  
"I can fit in an opening for you next week." Koenma said proudly.  
"Make it tomorrow." Countered Kurama.  
"T-tomorrow? Who do you think I am?" Koenma sputtered.  
"Someone who will be quite sorry if we are not granted passage to the Warring States Era tomorrow." Kurama replied.  
Koenma gulped. Why did someone so quiet have to be scary at the same time?  
"Tomorrow." He repeated. "Right. Botan, give them the address and the time to be there."  
"You'll all be careful, won't you?" Botan asked as she went to the computer to look up the Higurashi's address in Tokyo.  
"We'll be fine." Yusuke boasted. "I'm the Mazoku, remember? All we've got to do is kick the bad guy's ass, rescue the princess and get home in one piece. Standard video game plot."  
"You don't understand the Warring States era, Yusuke." Kurama warned. "It would be best if you all followed my lead."  
"I'm with Kurama." Kuwabara nodded. "I mean, he's done all this before anyway."  
No. Kurama thought as he left Spirit World with his friends by his side. I haven't. Not with so much at stake.


	5. Chapter 5: Iron reaver

Inuyasha was about to doze off for a nap when something heavy landed on his chest. Two somethings, in fact. He opened his eyes and bit back a groan when he found himself face to face to face with Natsumi and Fuyumi. He liked the twins well enough, which he probably should since he was their godfather and all, but they always seemed to know when he was trying to nap.

"Tell us a story!" Fuyumi demanded. Natsumi nodded vigorously.

"A story? Now?" Inuyasha groaned and sat up. The girls tumbled off of him and laughed as they landed in a heap. Kagome was good at this kind of thing, not him. He thought for a while and tried his best.

"Well… once there was this demon… and he was a half demon…"

"We've heard this one." Natsumi said critically.

"I just started, how do you know you've heard it?" Inuyasha snapped. "Anyway, this half demon… uh… had a magical sword…"

"You're just talking about you!" Fuyumi accused him.

"I am not!" He sputtered. "Now quit interrupting me, half-pint!

"Tell us a story about a demon slayer like Mommy!" Natsumi cheered. "With a flying kitty like Kirara!"

"I'll try." Inyuasha sighed. He wished the twins were as low maintenance as their brother. Akira lay asleep on a mat in the corner of the house. Inuyasha envied the infant for being able to sleep so heavily despite the presence of the twins. He thought for a while and began.

"Once upon a time, or whatever, there was this demon slayer named… uh… S-Sakura? Sure. Her name was Sakura. And she had a flying kitty named K… uh… Kibaba."

"You're bad at this, Uncle Inuyasha." Fuyumi sighed.

"Well, you just put me on the spot, 's all." He snapped. He looked up when the door to the hut opened and Kagome entered.

"Save me!" He mouthed at her. To his horror, Kagome grinned and shook her head.

"Come on, Inuyasha, it'll be good for you!" She urged.

"You haven't dealt with them nearly as much as I have, ya know!" He growled. "At least take one of them!" He held out Natsumi by the back of her kimono. The girl laughed and squirmed in his grip.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Kagome grinned and walked further into the house. "You love them and you know it." She went over to pick up Akira, who had started to fuss. "Any idea when Sango and Miroku will come back?"

"The presence I sensed to the north is gone now." Inuyasha said. "So I think they should be back soonish. Believe me, it's not soon enough—" Suddenly, he paused. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and his ears twitched.

"There's something else." He said in a low voice.

"There is?" Kagome frowned, holding on tighter to the baby in her arms.

"And whatever it is, it's big." Inuyasha looked seriously at the girls. "We're taking you to Kaede's."

"But we don't wanna go to Granny Kaede's!" The twins whined.

"Too bad. We're going to help your parents, so you should be thanking us." He slung one twin over each shoulder and went to the door. "Grab your bow, Kagome. Something tells me we'll need it."

Sango had no idea what she was looking at. A glowing scar had formed in thin air… and there was something big on the other side. She felt a presence approaching her from behind, and nearly drew her sword on it before realizing it was Inuyasha, with Kagome on his back.

"Where are the children?" She hissed.

"At Kaede's don't worry." Kagome soothed. "What's going on?"

"Well, we slew the weasel demon inhabiting the storehouse…" She said. "But then this happened… and we don't quite know what it is."

"I don't like it." Inuyasha's hand brushed the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. He crouched low in the bushes, narrowing his eyes.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's hand on his shoulder tightened.

"Something's coming." He could smell it. The scent was like rust and blood. He growled low in his throat when a figure emerged from the fissure in nothing. It was a suit of armor, but it was distorted somehow. It looked wrong. A second figure emerged, and a third. They all bore the same insignia on their armor. The fissure vanished when the fourth figure came through. This one was the largest of them. And to Inuyasha's surprise, he held an unconscious woman in his arms.

"It can't be…" Kagome whispered under her breath.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked.

"I know her." Kagome said in shock. "Her name is Tomoe Kanzaki. We went to high school together! But what is she doing with these demons?"

"I'm not sure." A slight rustling in the brush was the only sign that Miroku was now nearby. "But something tells me I know what they plan on doing with her."

The four armored demons arranged themselves in a ring. The one carrying his victim lay her on the ground. Kagome gasped when he took out a wicked-looking sword.

"Inuyasha!" She urged. "We have to do something! He's going to kill her!"

"I'm on it." Inuyasha hadn't sharpened his claws on much lately. That was about to change.

The last thing Tomoe remembered was trying to get away from that massive suit of armor. She groaned, trying to open her eyes. She didn't hear the turbulent waters of the lagoon, which troubled her. What troubled her even more was when she opened her eyes and saw the armor from before looming over her, his sword coming rapidly down toward her. She let out a yelp of surprise and summoned her reflector. It stopped the sword mere inches from her face. It rang like a bell, both sword and mirror trembling from the impact. The adrenaline was starting to course through her veins. She was waking up more now, thank god.

"Who are you?" She deflected the sword and scrambled to her feet. The armor said nothing, but made to strike again.

"Answer me, dammit!" She lashed out with her reflector. "If you're trying to kill me, I deserve to know why!"

"To… mo… e…" The voice emanating from the armor echoed. Tomoe paled, but didn't back away.

"Oh, so it can talk." She struck again, but the figure deflected it with its sword. She heard clanking metal behind her, and saw three more suits of armor closing in. Grabbing onto her reflector, she soared high above their heads to regroup.

"Who are you, anyway?" She called down to them. "You'd better start talking, or I'll start taking limbs."

One of the suits of armor aimed a crossbow up at her. Tomoe narrowed her eyes at the bolt headed for her, and angled her reflector to meet it. It collided with the mirror and shattered, but not before emitting a massive cloud of something noxious that made Tomoe cough and gasp for air. She dropped beneath the screen of poison, hoping she hadn't breathed in too much.

"Damn you…" She came in close to swoop at the one with the crossbow. Those were for long range, it was useless up close. Sure enough, with an uppercut from her reflector the crossbow armor was sent flying. She grinned darkly and with a yell moved onto the one that had kidnapped her.

Unfortunately, she hadn't accounted for the other two. Before she was within striking distance of the armor, the second had moved and grabbed her around the waist with both arms.

"Let go!" She yelled. Before she could even strike it down, she saw a streak of red and white slash at it with his claws. He sent the third away with a swing of the massive sword he had just drawn.

"So you do know how to fight." He smirked over at her. "Things are getting more interesting."

"For you, maybe." Tomoe growled. "Who are you? Are you in with them?" Her reflector hummed as it spun like a sawblade.

"If I was, why did I just destroy two of 'em?" The stranger scoffed.

"You didn't destroy them!" Tomoe snapped. "Look, they're already getting up!"

The figure frowned, and hefted his sword.

"You take two, I take two?" He asked, glancing sideways at her before turning back to his opponents.

"Got it." Tomoe turned her back to his, looking over at the other armored suits. "But the big one is mine." She hefted her reflector and started to charge the ringleader. She was going to wail on it until it was near death… Then get all the answers she wanted out of it… then kill it the rest of the way.

However, her plan was not to be. A fissure in space split the air and opened up behind each of the figures, and they all stepped back and vanished.

"Get back here!" Tomoe yelled. Frustrated, she swung her reflector through the empty air. Her side was beginning to hurt. She sank to her knees and tried to catch her breath, taking the time to look around and see where she had been taken to. She froze when she realized she was no longer on a islet in the hidden lagoon, but in a grassy meadow surrounded by trees. There were no planes overhead, no powerlines or anything modern to be seen. She looked over at the person who had helped her. He had silver hair and ears like Youko Kurama had, but the differences ended there.

"So, you're Tomoe, huh?" He asked.

"Depends on who wants to know." She glowered up at him. "Where am I? How do you know my name? What were those things? Where's the nearest place with a wifi signal?" Why was asking questions taking so much of her energy? She felt dizzy. She sensed movement off to her left, and looked to see a few people coming out of the shelter of the trees to meet her. Two of them she didn't recognize, but the third…

"Kagome?" Tomoe blinked in shock and squinted to try and clear her vision.

"Tomoe! It is you!" Kagome cried. "Are you all right? What are you doing here?"

Tomoe was about to ask her the same question, but her injuries and the poison cloud from before were catching up with her. She sank down to the ground again, exhausted and unable to move. She felt someone hoist her over their shoulder before she lost consciousness, and could only hope that whoever it was was a friend


	6. Chapter 6: High school reunion

"So… you're a demon?" Kagome looked cautiously over at her friend. Tomoe Kanzaki looked exactly the same as she had when they were in high school together. And yet here Kagome was wrapping up a head wound from someone she saw take down two demons with what looked like some kind of haunted Frisbee.

"Yeah." Tomoe nodded. Her smile, though it was small, was one of pride. "One of the strongest female apparitions in human world."

"What does that mean?" Inuyasha frowned. "From what I've seen, there ain't any demons in Kagome's world."

"Well, my friends and I are there, so there are." Tomoe said dryly. "The way I see it, over the centuries as humans began to multiply, demons and apparitions like us decided to go incognito and adopt human guises and lives. You know how humans are… if they're faced with something they don't understand, they want to kill it, or take it apart to see how it works, or both." She shrugged. "It's honestly safer just to stay in demon world, for most."

"Demon world?" Sango repeated. "There's an entire world populated by demons?"

"It's kind of like another dimension, I think." Tomoe tried to explain. "Ow ow ow, that hurts…"

"Sorry!" Kagome tried to clean the dried blood from Tomoe's hairline more gently.

"It's all right." Tomoe smiled. She turned back to Sango. "My friend Koku says that in this time period, the line between human world and demon world is a lot less defined than it is in my time. There was a barrier put up to keep high-class demons from entering human world to cause trouble, but…" She looked sheepish. "My friend Kazuma kind of broke it… and my friend Yusuke ended up getting rid of it altogether…"

"So high-class demons are walking around our time?!" Kagome asked in surprise. She'd never sensed any demons around her house… but then again, she wasn't able to sense auras like Sango and Miroku could.

"Yep." Tomoe grinned. "My friends and I are kind of at the top of the heap so far."

"Do I know any of your demon friends, Tomoe?" Kagome wondered.

"Wait a minute." Miroku spoke quietly so as not to disturb a sleeping Natsumi in his lap. "If you are such a high powered demon, Tomoe, how is it that you are allowed to stay in human world?

"A lot of paperwork." Tomoe sighed. "But I was born in human world, plus my friends and I did some favors for spirit world, so the process was expedited."

A lull came in the conversation as Kagome finished wrapping Tomoe's head and the woman settled to rest. Kagome could barely wrap her head around what her friend had said. There were demons even in the modern era? And they lived as humans? Unbelievable!

Inuyasha's ears suddenly twitched, and he sniffed the air.

"Is something coming, Inuyasha?" She asked, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Is it those suits of armor again?" She saw Tomoe grow tense.

"Nah, it's just Shippo." Inuyasha said softly. He moved a napping Fuyumi to rest against her mother instead of him, then stood. "I'm gonna go meet him."

"That's… unusually thoughtful of you, Inuyasha." Said Sango as she pulled her daughter closer.

"It's mostly cause I need to get outta here and run for a bit." Inuyasha sniffed. "…Maybe punch somethin'."

"Of course." Sango rolled her eyes.

Kagome smiled as he left. She knew he'd probably be back to serving as a pillow for Sango and Miroku's children soon enough.

After a while, Shippo came bouncing into the house.

"HI, Kagome!" He said happily.

"Shippo!" Kagome held out her arms for the little fox and hugged him tight. She'd missed him. "How is your training going?"

"Great!" Shippo boasted. "I'm learning all kinds of new things!" He paused when he saw Tomoe in the corner. "Who's this? She smells like a demon."

"I know I haven't showered in a few days, but that's a bit rude." Tomoe quipped dryly. "What are you, anyway? Some kind of rodent?"

"I'm a fox!" Shippo said hotly as he stamped his tiny feet. Tomoe's eyes grew wide.

"You're a fox?" She asked. "No way. I know a fox, and his looks nothing like you." She looked thoughtfully at Inuyasha. "His fox form looks more like you, actually."

"A fox with silver hair? Good one, Tomoe." Inuyasha drawled. "Who's ever heard of a—" He looked down to realize Shippo had started shaking.

"Y-you mean like Youko Kurama?" He asked. "No way! I don't believe you!"

"Youko Kurama?" Tomoe suddenly perked up and looked evenly at Shippo. "How do you know about Youko Kurama?"

"Every fox knows about Youko Kurama. And every demon if he's got good sense." Shippo shuddered. "He's a ruthless bandit. They call him the king of thieves! He'll steal anything of value he can get his hands on, no matter the cost! I've heard tales of how he slaughtered an entire village in one night just to get to the castle at the middle!"

"Really?" Tomoe blinked. "Because the Kurama I know is kind of a softie."

"You know that bandit?" Kagome gasped. "He's in our world?"

"Living as a human has softened him up a lot." Tomoe said hastily. "He's one of the most compassionate people I know!"

"Wait, he's disguised as a human?" Kagome asked. "Do I know him?"

"We all went to high school together." Tomoe reached into her pocket for her phone. To Kagome's surprise, it stull functioned. Tomoe pulled up a picture from graduation day. It was Kagome Yuka, Eri, Tomoe, Hojo, and…

"Suuichi Minamino?" Kagome gaped at the picture. "HE'S Youko Kurama?"

"Yeah." Tomoe nodded. "See? Does he look like a village-destroyer to you?"

"Yes." Shippo growled.

Tomoe sighed. Kagome knew that the incoming explanation was going to last a while.


	7. Chapter 7: The bone-eaters' well

Souta Higurashi was confused, to say the least. The guy who'd come over to help Kagome with her math homework sometimes was now in their living room saying that he and his friends needed to use the well.  
"Impossible!" Grandpa cried. "How do you know about the Bone-Eater's Well?"  
"I was about to get to that, Mr. Higurashi sir." Botan stammered.  
"So you're an emissary from Spirit World? That's so interesting!" Mrs. Higurashi came into the living room with a plate of snacks. "And you came all this way to talk to us? You must be hungry from such a long trip."  
"All right! These look amazing!" Kuwabara reached for one greedily. "Thanks, Mrs. Higurashi!"  
"Wait," Souta narrowed his eyes at Kagome's high-school friend Suichi. "So you're a demon? A demon like InuYasha?"  
"Inuyasha?" Kurama gave a faint smile. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in some time."  
"Who's Inuyasha?" Yusuke wondered. "That's a dumb name."  
"How do you know about Inuyasha, boy?" Growled Grandpa. "He lives—er, lived, back in the Warring States Era!"  
"So did I. I'm actually quite a lot older than I look." Kurama explained. "Back then, he traveled with a strangely-dressed but very powerful priestess, if my sources were correct…" He suddenly smiled. "That wouldn't happen to be Kagome, would it?"  
"I can't imagine who else it would be." Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "She went back there for good to live with Inuyasha after graduation. The last I heard, she's doing quite well."  
"Well, that's great news." Kurama said politely, taking one of the snacks. "You're a very talented cook, Mrs. Higurashi." He smiled again, and the woman blushed and waved away his compliment.

It had been half an hour since they arrived. Mrs. Higurashi had hugged Kurama and asked about his family and how he was doing, they'd had snacks, and old Mr. Higurashi had shown them a relic of a demon claw that he was pretty sure was made of papier mache. And now while Kurama was charming the family with his good manners and such, Yusuke was about ready to yank his hair out from impatience.

"All right, I'm bored." Said Yusuke through a mouthful of food, "aren't we gonna cut to the chase about Tomoe?"  
"He's just being polite, Yusuke." Botan shot back. "You should try it sometime."  
"Tomoe?" Mrs. Higurashi blinked in surprise. "Your friend from high school, right? Is everything okay?"  
"I'm afraid not." Kurama said, his face darkening. "She was kidnapped four days ago by a demon and pulled into a rift in time. I believe they are in the Warring States Era, which is why we would like your permission to pass through the well on your property to get there and rescue her."  
"How do you know she's back there?" Souta wondered. "I mean, she could be anywhere… anywhen… is anywhen a word?" He whispered to Kuwabara. Kuwabara shrugged.

"She is the reincarnation of a woman who lived in that time." Kurama explained. "If a demon were to take her through time, that is where, or when, I should say, it would take her."  
"Well, of course you can use the well." Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "If your friend is in trouble, I'm sure Kagome and Inuyasha will be willing to help. Let me pack you four some lunches for the trip."  
"Oh, I'm not actually going with them." Botan said. "As a grim reaper, my schedule is pretty much booked. I came to kind of help debrief everyone about the situation." She stood and bowed to the Higurashi family. "I must be off. Thank you for your hospitality!"  
"Of course, come by anytime!" Mrs. Higurashi poked her head out of the kitchen and waved.  
"Oh!" Botan paused as she went to put on her shoes. "I almost forgot." She took four little charms out of her pocket. Three were red and one was pink.  
"These are your passes through the well." She handed them to Kuwabara.  
"The pink one's for Tomoe, right?" He dangled the trinket just out of reach of Buyo the cat.  
"Be careful with those!" Botan snatched them away and promptly delivered them to Kurama. At least he'd be responsible about them. "They change color depending on how many passes through the well are left. Yours are all red because there are two trips' worth of energy in them. Tomoe's is pink because it only has one trip. They'll turn white when they're used up."  
"You mean once we go through the well we'll have to wear stupid pink charms?" Yusuke said in disdain. "Nice."  
"Oh, hush." Botan hissed. "I didn't pick the color. And besides, I like pink! Now stop complaining and—"  
"Here you are." Mrs. Higurashi had somehow in that short span of time made three very impressive bento boxes for the boys. "And can I get you to take a few things to Kagome and InuYasha for me?"  
"Sure, I guess." Kuwabara shrugged.  
"Wonderful!" Mrs. Higurashi pointed to several massive bags full of instant noodles, modern first-aid, junk food, and other supplies.  
"And lemme guess who's gonna carry all this…" Yusuke grumbled.  
"It's the least we can do." Kurama countered. He stood and went to put on his shoes, grabbing one of the bags on his way out. "Don't argue, Yusuke. We don't have time for that."  
Yusuke nodded and went to help. Souta tagged along to show them where the well was.  
"So what kind of demon are you?" He asked Kurama. "And why does everyone call you Kurama? I thought your name was Suichi."  
"That's my name as a human." Kurama replied. "Kurama is my name as a demon. I'm a spirit fox."  
"Cool!" Souta said excitedly. "Kagome knows a fox demon in her time! Maybe you two will be buddies or something!"  
"I'm sure." Kurama smiled. This was troublesome. Any fox in the Warring States era knew to be wary of Youko. He would have to win this fox's trust.

They approached the old well house, which despite its age was in fairly good condition. Souta slid open the door and showed them the old well.  
"That's it?" Yusuke scoffed. "Not much to look at, is it?"  
"Neat!" Kuwabara tossed his bag down the well, and laughed out loud when he saw it vanish.  
"Holy shit, it disappeared!" Yusuke's eyes widened and he threw his own bag down the well. "Kurama, you've got to see thiIIIIIIIIS!"  
Kuwabara had upended Yusuke and sent him down into the well. Like the bags of provisions, Yusuke Urameshi was now gone.

"If you hear any commotion, it's most likely because we've come back with Tomoe." Kurama explained to Souta as Kuwabara tossed another bag into the well to watch it vanish. "Thank you again, Souta."  
"Sure." Souta nodded as he watched Kuwabara cannonball in. "You'll be okay over there, right? There's monsters and stuff."  
"Don't worry." Kurama said with a smile, "We've faced plenty of monsters before." With that, he leaped over the edge and into the Bone Eater's Well.


	8. Chapter 8: The bachelor

Rin paced the village anxiously, keeping her eyes on the sky. It was her birthday. He always came to see her on her birthday. Well, he visited her more often than that, but he NEVER missed her birthday. Sure enough, she began to make out a dark shape approaching the village from the air. As it grew closer, she could see that it was her favorite two-headed dragon, with her favorite demon astride its back.  
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" She ran to meet Ah-Un as it came for a landing outside the village. Sesshoumaru rarely set foot into town, preferring not to mingle with humans or, heaven forbid, run into his half-brother.  
"You've gotten taller, Rin." He noted as he dismounted and walked over to her. "How old are you now?"  
"Thirteen, my lord!" Rin chirped.  
"Thirteen." The demon lord mused. To a slow-ageing demon like him, thirteen years meant nothing. But Rin seemed especially proud of this fact, so he chose to humor her.  
"I have brought you something." He reached over into the saddlebag and handed her a folded-up kimono. Rin's eyes widened and she ran her hand over the silk fabric in reverence.  
"It's beautiful, my lord." She breathed. "Thank you so very much!" She suddenly got a gleam in her eye. "And I have something for you, too!"  
"Do you, now?" The faintest glint of humor lit the demon's eyes.  
"I do! Wait right here, I will be right back!" Rin took off at full speed back to the village.  
"I wonder what has gotten Rin so excited?" Jakken wondered. "Do you think she has a gift for me too, Lord Sesshoumaru?"  
Sesshoumaru said nothing. He watched, slightly confused, as Rin came running back, this time with a woman in tow. He could sense that she was a demon, a powerful one in fact. But despite her power and her admittedly pretty face, she dressed so strangely.  
"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin panted as she came to a stop. The woman looked up at Sesshoumaru with equal confusion. "Look!"  
"I am looking, Rin." Sesshoumaru said flatly. "What exactly am I looking at?"  
"'What'?" The woman frowned. "That's a bit rude."  
"Lady Tomoe, meet Lord Sesshoumaru, the ruler of all the western lands. Lord Sesshoumaru, meet Lady Tomoe. She is very powerful." Rin looked from one to the other. Tomoe bowed awkwardly and Sesshoumaru gave a near-imperceptible inclination of the head.  
"Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin said, pausing for dramatic effect, "I have found you a wife!"

Tomoe looked down at the beaming little girl, then at the imp gaping at her with wide eyes, then at the demon standing in front of her. He reminded her of Youko Kurama, at least the hair and the eyes did. But other than that… this was a stranger. A stranger, apparently, Kaede's young ward Rin wanted her to marry.  
"Wait. What?" Tomoe blinked. "I didn't agree to this!"  
"Neither did I." Sesshoumaru had humored Rin long enough. He hoped that she wouldn't continue to play matchmaker. "I am not seeking a wife at this time, Rin."  
"But she's perfect for you, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin protested. "You are a demon, and she is a demon, and…"  
"Rin, sweetie, you need to ask peoples' permission before you marry them off." Tomoe said gently. "Besides, I've already got someone."  
"Who is it?" Rin pressed. "Is he as powerful as Lord Sesshoumaru?"  
"That's enough, Rin." Sesshoumaru said.  
"Probably." Tomoe nodded. "He's a spirit fox named Kurama."  
"Youko Kurama? That brigand?" Sesshoumaru scoffed. "Anyone who associates with low-lives and thieves is not worth my time. Go back to the village, Rin."  
"You know Youko Kurama?" Tomoe blinked in surprise. "He's here? Where have you seen him?"  
"Shouldn't you know?" Sesshoumaru quipped. "Seeing as you're apparently married to him?"  
"We're not- And can you stop being an ass for a minute and listen?" Tomoe growled.  
"How dare you use such foul language around my master Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jakken cried. "You ungrateful hellion, you should be honored to be considered to be a bride of—"  
"I wasn't talking to you, frogman." Tomoe said. She turned her attention back to Sesshoumaru. "Fine. If you won't tell me where Youko Kurama is, maybe you'll tell me about something else."  
Sesshoumaru paused as he went to mount Ah-Un.  
"And what might that be?" He asked.  
"Have you ever seen a black cherry tree?" Tomoe asked. "You've got a flying dragon. I bet you travel all over the place. Have you ever come across one?" It was a long shot, but maybe, just maybe…  
"A black cherry tree?" Sesshoumaru repeated. He thought for a while, then got into the saddle. "I have heard tell of such a thing in the North."  
"The north?" Tomoe repeated. So it DID exist in this time period! She remembered her manners at the last minute and bowed. "Thank you for the information. I should be going." She paused before leaving, and smirked. "It's not you, it's me. I don't think this is going to work out."  
"What?" Jakken watched as the woman walked with Rin back to the village. "What did that even mean?"  
"Why should I care?" Sesshoumaru flicked the reins and Ah-Un rose into the air. As he rode away, he couldn't help but think to himself.  
 _I almost got engaged today. Not even my mother is this insistent that I find a wife._  
For a brief instant, the faintest smile crossed his face.


	9. Chapter 9: Pringles and plot twists

Yusuke didn't know what to expect on the other side of the well. He knew he'd give Kuwabara a black eye for tossing him down it, that was for sure… but what would it be like? Passing through the portal to Demon World was like jumping through a hot oven. This well, however, was more like splashing down into water. Except there was no water, just a brief feeling of something cool passing over his body. When he hit the ground with a surprisingly gentle impact, he looked up and was surprised to see blue sky and clouds above him instead of the old well house ceiling. Soon, Kuwabara and then Kurama materialized beside him.

"Freaky." Kuwabara breathed. "Are we there yet?"

"It would appear so." Kurama mused. "Well, first thing's first. We need to find Kagome and deliver the things Mrs. Higurashi sent with us. Perhaps once we find her, we can convince Inuyasha to help us search for Tomoe."

Yusuke frowned at his friend and hauled a bag of supplies over his shoulder. "You never cleared it up, fox-boy." He said. "Who's this Inuyasha dude and how do you know him?"

"I don't know him." Kurama went over to the ladder that had been set down in the well and began to climb it. "However, I know OF him."

"And?" Yusuke was beginning to grow impatient already. "Are you gonna be this vague about everything?"

"You didn't let me finish before you started ranting again." Kurama looked down at Yusuke witheringly. Yusuke scowled and said nothing.

"Inuyasha is a half-demon, like you, Yusuke. His father was a powerful demon lord, if my sources were correct."

A half demon like him? Yusuke had to admit some interest.

"He's not another Mazoku, is he?" Kuwabara wondered. "We've got our hands full with one…"

"No, I believe he is half dog-demon." Kurama thought for a while as he reached the top of the well, slinging the bag he held over his shoulder and onto the ground outside. "He was said to have a very powerful sword at his disposal, and was a formidable fighter. If I can get on Kagome's good side, perhaps she can convince Inuyasha to help us."

"Why not ask him straight up?" Yusuke asked. "I'll just start wavin' my Spirit Gun around and he'll listen. You know what they say, don't bring a sword to a gunfight!" He laughed at his own joke.

He leaped out of the well and took a deep breath. He had to admit, it was pretty peaceful around there, although the forest reminded him of the one surrounding Genkai's compound. That old bat still scared the crap out of him. He turned back to help Kuwabara with the supplies. One by one, the large bags came to rest on the forest floor.

"So, where do we go from here?" Kuwabara asked.

"Hell if I know." Yusuke scoffed, staring around him.

"This way." Kurama pointed. Yusuke stared blankly at him. How the hell did he know where to go?

"Lemme guess, you've been here before?" He sneered, grabbing a bag and walking along with him.

"I smell chimney smoke and farm animals coming from this direction." Kurama explained. "I also smell water, which humans tend to settle by." He then pointed down to the well-worn trail at his feet. "But my first clue was the fact that there's also this convenient well-worn path right here that will lead us straight into town…" He pointed again, "and the sign that says the village is a quarter of a mile away to the South."

Yusuke snorted and tried to maintain what was left of his pride.

"Even I could see that, Urameshi." Kuwabara laughed out loud. "C'mon, Mr. High-and-mighty Mazoku, let's go!"

Yusuke grumbled to himself as he trudged down the path. He'd walked right into that one.

Kurama was quiet as he walked along the path toward the village. It might be his imagination, but he was almost sure he caught Tomoe's scent on the wind. But it disappeared almost as quickly as he realized it was there.

Be cautious. He said to himself. You may have just imagined it. Take things one step at a time. First, find Kagome and Inuyasha. Then we can start the search... assuming we don't run into _him_ …

After a while, he realized he could catch the scent of several people coming their way. They were on horseback. This might not be good.

"Someone is coming." He said, glancing over to Yusuke and Kuwabara. The two of them were holding an unofficial competition of who could carry the most bags of supplies.

"Yeah, so?" Yusuke asked. "We're just travelers on the road, right? And if they try to rob us, we'll just kick their asses and be on our way."

"Perhaps." Kurama said. "But remember, this is the Warring States Era. The Kekkai barrier hasn't been erected yet. Demons of all classes roam around freely. I don't think we're going to be meeting one on this road, but you mustn't be fooled by appearances. It's often the ones that look human that are the most dangerous."

"That's kind of a roundabout way of bragging, isn't it?" Kuwabara scoffed. "Since you and Urameshi are demons that look human?"

"I'll take it as a compliment." Yusuke grinned.

Kurama had to crack a smile. Those two were always ready to face trouble. It meant a great deal to him that they had come with him to look for Tomoe. This story didn't concern them, but still they charged headlong into it to help a friend. He'd always thought humans were fools for doing so much for friends and not expecting anything in return. Now he knew that it was no weakness at all, but one of humanity's greatest strengths.

Soon, as he knew they would, several riders came into view, coming toward them. The group consisted of several men and an older woman with a patch over one eye. She wore the garb of a priestess, and had a grim expression on her face. This could be a problem.

"Halt, travelers!" A man called.

"Oh please." Yusuke growled. "What do they want? We're in a hurry. If they don't move—"

"Yusuke." Kurama said sharply. Yusuke stopped.

"Please." Kurama said. "Let me do the talking. You and Kuwabara don't know how things work in this time. Your tendency to fight first and ask questions later will get us in trouble if you don't practice a little restraint." He inwardly sighed in relief when Yusuke stepped back. His friend was fearless to a fault and famous for hating authority… but those characteristics might get him killed here.

"My friends and I are merely passing through." Kurama kept his voice light and his posture as nonthreatening as possible as he turned back toward the newcomers.

"Ye are coming from the Bone-Eater's Well." The old woman frowned. "What might ye be doing there?"

"Bone-Eater's Well?" He asked coolly. "I'm not quite sure what you mean, madam priestess."

"Ye know good and well what that place is." The woman took an arrow out of the quiver on her back. "There is a strong demonic aura around your group. I could sense it from all the way down in the village. What business have ye here?"

"You could sense us all the way from— Oh, I see." Kurama nodded. "You are correct, madam priestess. My friend and I are demons, but our other friend here is a human, and we mean this town no harm."

"Don't shoot us or you'll regret it." Yusuke growled. Kurama groaned as the men grew more agitated.

"What did I say about letting me do the talking?" He hissed. He turned to see the woman and the arrow aimed straight at his heart.

"You are correct that we came from the Bone-Eater's Well." He said. "Forgive my friend for his rudeness, we are searching for a woman named Kagome. Do you know of her?"

"And what business might ye have with Kagome?" The old woman narrowed her good eye.

"I am an old friend of hers." Kurama said. "We come bearing supplies her mother has sent with us." Since she seemed to know Kagome, it wouldn't hurt to open one of the bags to display a myriad of junk food packages. He tried not to laugh. All this fuss over potato chips?

"Please tell me those aren't kit-kats." Kuwabara peered over his shoulder. "Aw man, the green tea ones are my favorite!"

"Look at those bags! Those look like the type of things Lady Kagome has!" A man said. The woman frowned and reluctantly put the arrow away.

"I assume ye know that there is a powerful monk and demon slayer living in our village, along with Kagome and the half-demon Inuyasha." She said. "Should ye try anything untoward while in our village, ye will surely be destroyed."

"I do not doubt that." Kurama said, relieved that the purifying arrows were put away. "Might we follow you into town?"

The priestess nodded and turned her horse. Kurama shouldered the bag he carried and kept walking.

"That was a close one." Kuwabara said.

"In more ways than one." Kurama replied. "That priestess shoots purifying arrows. To you, Kuwabara, it would merely hurt. If she is powerful enough, as I expect she is, then if Yusuke or I were hit with one of those…"

"What?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama smiled grimly at his friend. "I've been hit by one of those once before. It nearly killed me. It's what made me begin my life as a human."

Yusuke was stunned into silence. Kurama kept walking.

"Now do you understand why I want you to let me do the talking?" He asked.

"I'm starting to." Yusuke said.

Before long, the three of them were settled inside the priestess Kaede's hut. Her young ward, a girl named Rin, had oohed and aahed over the contents of the bags Mrs. Higurashi had sent, and Yusuke finally bribed her with a sucker to quit digging through them.

"This may sound odd, but I could swear I have seen you somewhere before, young man." Kaede mused.

"I can't imagine how." Kurama said with a polite smile. "This is my first time this side of the well. I didn't know it existed until a few days ago."

"I think you're right, Lady Kaede." Rin frowned. "And your name is Kurama? I think I have heard that name before…" She repeated his name to herself as she strode out to go get some more firewood.

"Thanks again for not shooting us, ma'am." Kuwabara said sheepishly. "We're the good guys, we promise!"

"You said you knew Kagome?" Yusuke pressed. "Where is she?"

"I am afraid Kagome and Inuyasha left the village a few days ago." Kaede said. "I know not what they were searching for, but they took their friends Sango and Miroku with them."

"Did they say when they would be back?" Kurama asked. Suddenly, Rin burst into the house again.

"You're Miss Tomoe's friend!" She cried.

"Tomoe?" The name was almost like an electric shock to Kurama. He fumbled for his backpack and pulled out a folder. From it he took out a photo of Tomoe and a few others from a karaoke night a few months back. He showed it to Rin and asked, 'Is this the Tomoe you're talking about?"

"Yeah, that's her!" Rin nodded emphatically, pointing to the woman's face. "I was going to try and get her and Lord Sesshoumaru to get married, but she said no… and then she asked him about a cherry tree with black flowers. Have you ever seen a black cherry tree, Mr. Kurama?" She asked.

"Black cherry tree? That sounds like someone I know." Said Yusuke. He was no longer fidgeting impatiently. Now they were getting somewhere.

"So you've seen this woman?" Asked Kurama, showing Kaede the photograph. "Is she all right? Where did she go?"

"Yes, I've seen her." Kaede nodded. "She seemed fine to me. She went with Inuyasha and Kagome. From what I know, they rescued her from some peculiar demons."

Kurama felt himself relax. Tomoe was alive. She was with friends. She wasn't with him, but at least he knew she was in good hands.

 _Thank goodness…_ he breathed.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few more questions." He said, reaching for the folder again. Pulling it out, he extracted a group of pictures of several different insignias on armor. "Have you ever encountered anyone bearing this crest?"

Kaede stared at it for a long while.

"No, I can not say that I have." She said. "What does this have to do with your friend Tomoe?"

"It's a long story, I'm afraid, and not one I have time to tell." Kurama put the pictures away and stood. "Do you know what direction they went in?"

"They started down the road to the east." Kaede said.

"Then that is where we'll go, too." Kurama bowed quickly, then motioned for Yusuke and Kuwabara to follow him.

They were closer to finding Tomoe, and closer to getting home. Kurama knew she'd give him an earful after keeping so much from her for so long, but he was almost looking forward to it.


	10. Chapter 10: A flashback

"Sango?" Tomoe turned back when she realized the demon slayer was no longer walking with them. She had slowed her steps and was looking behind her. Miroku stopped as well, and walked back to check on his wife.  
"What is it, Sango?" He asked.  
"Oh, nothing." Sango sighed. "I was just thinking about the children. This is the first time both of us will have been gone for an extended period of time."  
"I'm sure they'll be fine." Miroku reassured her. "After all, they're tough like you. I think they'll be able to survive a little bit of separation." He gave her hand a gentle tug to keep her walking. "Besides, they have Kaede and Rin to keep them company. There's nothing to worry about."  
"Except for the twins driving Kaede insane." Sango smirked. She shouldered her Hiraikotsu and kept walking.  
Tomoe turned her eyes back to the path and kept walking. She then realized Inuyasha was watching her.  
"Can I help you?" She asked flatly. "It's rude to stare."  
"How'd you fall in with a demon like Kurama, if he's as bad as Shippo says he is?" InuYasha wondered.  
"He's not bad." Tomoe shook her head. "The Kurama that lives in this time is, I guess. But the Kurama I know isn't. 500 years do a lot to change a person."  
"Yeah, whatever." InuYasha said. "You're not answering my question."  
"We met when we were in elementary school." Tomoe explained. "Back then, I didn't know how to control my reflector nearly as well as I do now, and one day I couldn't make it go away." She summoned the disc, where it came to float just behind her back. "It was stuck like this, right behind me, and wouldn't disappear. I hid from school that day because I was scared of someone seeing me like this. And he found me."

 _The little girl's face was streaked with tears and dirt. She heard footsteps approaching, and crept farther into the alley in which she hid. She crouched behind a garbage can, hoping that whoever it was couldn't find her. The footsteps came closer, and she scooted back until her reflector bumped into the wall with a loud clang. She flinched at the sound.  
"Kanzaki?" Tomoe opened her eyes to find herself face to face with the odd little redheaded boy from school.  
"Go away!" She cried, curling into a ball. "Don't look at me! Leave me alone!" She hoped he couldn't see her reflector. He'd tell everyone at school. They'd think she was a freak, they'd throw her out of school, the police would come and take her away…  
"Relax." She felt the boy put a hand on the top of her head, and she looked up at him again.  
"How long have you had that?" He pointed to the reflector.  
"E-ever since I can remember." Tomoe sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "But it hasn't gone away since last night. I can usually make it go away, but it's not and I d-don't know whyyyy…" She started to cry again, and the boy gave her another pat on the head, a bit harder to get her attention.  
"It's all right." He said, crouching down so he was at eye level with her. "So you can make it disappear when you want it to?"  
"Uh huh…"  
"Okay, then all you need to do is concentrate."  
"I've been trying!"  
"It's not working because you're scared." He said. "Take a deep breath. Good. Take another. Imagine it going away like it always does."  
"But it won't—"  
"Yes it will. You need to just concentrate and breathe, okay?"  
Tomoe did her best. She closed her eyes. The alley around her disappeared, as did the boy. She and her reflector were the only things in the world. It was disappearing into a flash of light, and the energy of it was going back into her body. It was going away. It was going away…  
Suddenly, her back hit the brick wall behind her. She opened her eyes with a start, and saw that the boy was now smiling at her.  
"See?" He stood and held out his hand to help her up. "All you need to do is focus on it."  
"How did you know about how to do that?" Tomoe asked him.  
"I'll tell you some other time." The boy promised. "Come on, Kanzaki. I'll walk you home."  
"Thank you, Suichi." Tomoe said quietly. "You can't tell anybody about this, okay?"  
"I won't. I promise." Suichi said. He thought for a while as he walked. "Tell you what, Kanzaki. If you meet me in the park behind the school tomorrow, I'll help you use that reflector better."  
"You will?" Tomoe couldn't believe her ears. So far, her reflector had been nothing but a nuisance that she couldn't move much.  
"Mhmm." The boy smiled at her. "We have more in common than you think." He stopped her once they had reached her grandfather's house. "I'll see you in school tomorrow, okay?"  
"Okay." Tomoe nodded with a smile. "Bye, Suichi! Thanks again!"  
The boy waved as he walked back up the street. Tomoe walked home and inside with a smile on her face. Her secret was safe with him._

Tomoe smiled softly to herself.  
"And we've been together ever since then." She said.  
"That's so cute! You're like childhood sweethearts!" Kagome sighed wistfully, stars in her eyes.  
"Whatever." InuYasha shrugged.  
Tomoe grinned and kept walking. Kurama had been with her from the beginning. Her smile faded. Was he with her because there was something he knew that she didn't? Maybe he'd wanted her to be Tomoe Gozen from the beginning… There was something Kurama knew that he'd been keeping from her from the beginning.

A sudden movement caught her eye. She froze before she even realized what the movement had been.  
"Stop." She grabbed InuYasha's sleeve. InuYasha stopped walking and looked down at her in confusion.  
"Nobody move." Tomoe looked at the rustling in the trees around her.  
"What is it?" Miroku asked. "I don't sense any demonic presence."  
"Neither do I." said Sango.  
"Because it's not a demon." Tomoe said softly. "It's a plant."  
Soon, thick green stems with large, fan-like leaves came into view, wriggling toward them. One of them went to examine Shippo, who let out a yelp and stated to run.  
"Freeze!" Tomoe yelled. "It won't hurt you if you don't move!"  
Shippo stopped and curled into a tiny ball, trying not to shake too much. The plant seemed to examine him for a while, but then it moved away.

"How did you know that?" Kagome asked nervously.  
"I've seen these before." Tomoe said. She tried to move her lips as little as possible as she spoke. "They're called Ojiki. I can handle them. Just don't move." She summoned her reflector again with the slightest flick of her wrist. The flurry of movement caused the Ojiki to spasm and move in closer to the group. But the reflector distracted them. Tomoe concentrated. She could move the reflector fifty feet away from her without a problem, and a hundred feet if she gave it her all. More than that led to headaches and dizziness. She knew she had to make this quick. The reflector began to spin like a sawblade, and energy crackled around it in sparks. It drew the Ojiki plants away from the group, alternating between flipping end-over-end to distract them and buzzing in to saw down one of the Ojiki trunks after another. Plants began to fall, emitting unearthly cries.  
"She's going after all of them!" Miroku said in surprise.  
"Get 'em, Tomoe!" Shippo cried. Tomoe grinned, but wasn't able to for long. The Ojiki were strong here. Stronger than the ones she had seen at the Dark Tournament all those years ago. She severed the last stalk, and her reflector returned to her.

"That was amazing, Tomoe!" Kagome said excitedly. "You got them all!"  
"Yeah…" Tomoe walked forward and nudged a dying Ojiki with her toe.  
"You don't sound too happy." Sango mused.  
"It's because something doesn't add up." Tomoe said. "Someone once told me that these Ojiki are native to South America. So what are they doing in Japan?"  
Suddenly, another movement came from behind them. Tomoe reacted before she knew what she was responding to. The reflector spun and rang like a bell from the sound of something glancing off of it. Tomoe saw a flash of something green as it slung around to attack again.  
"Get back, Kagome!" InuYasha pushed Kagome out of the way and held up his arm to block the blow of the whip. It encircled his arm and the thorns bit through his robe and into his skin. He cried out in pain, but managed to grip the whip with his other hand and pull as hard as he could.  
"Stop hiding!" He yelled. "Get out here and fight like a man!"  
Tomoe looked down at the weapon encircling InuYasha, a shocked expression on her face.  
"It's the rose whip!" She would know it anywhere. She looked around to the source, and flung her reflector far out into the brush in that direction. The whip immediately went slack, as though the bearer let go to avoid the reflector's onslaught. Tomoe tried to summon it back, but it wouldn't come.  
"Get over here!" She gritted her teeth and pulled again, but the reflector only managed to peek out of the brush. Soon, though, it appeared in full… held tightly in the arms of an all-too-familiar face. Tomoe's jaw dropped in shock.  
"It's him!" Shippo ran and hid behind Miroku. Inuyasha, gripping his wounded arm, growled at the newcomer. Kagome gripped an arrow, but Tomoe stopped her. She stepped forward, looking at the silver-haired demon with a confused look on her face. The demon looked back at her, equally confused. He was the first one to speak.  
"How?"  
"How what?" Tomoe barely breathed.  
"How dare you take that shape to torture me, imposter…" Youko Kurama's eyes were cold as stone as he summoned his rose whip again. "You will pay with your life…"


	11. Chapter 11: The king of thieves

Tomoe summoned her reflector back to herself and stared down Youko Kurama. She had seen that face in a much kinder state. But then again, this was before. This Kurama had no knowledge of humans, no knowledge of compassion or mercy. This wasn't the Kurama she knew. She saw Inuyasha heft his Tetsusaiga, but stopped him.  
"If anyone's going to fight him, it's going to be me." She said. "Got it?"  
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her.  
"Fine. But once you start callin' for help, I'm gonna cut him in two."  
"And I'll cut you in two before you can do that." Tomoe said darkly. Inuyasha looked at her for a while, then sheathed his sword.  
"So, you know me, huh?" Tomoe stepped closer to Youko Kurama. "Or someone who looks like me?" She could sense his power emanating from him in waves. It surprised her that Youko was only an A-class apparition. The Kurama she knew was certainly an S-class. It was possible that he might be hiding his true power, but he either showed his full strength or nothing.  
"You look like someone I used to know. That is all." Youko said. "You will die either way."  
"I look like Tomoe Gozen?" Tomoe asked. "Is that it?"  
Youko said nothing, but lashed out with his rose whip again.  
It was like all those times they had sparred together after school. Tomoe was able to block the first attack easily enough.  
"My name is Tomoe Kanzaki." She said. "I have some questions for you."  
"And why should I answer them?" Youko struck again, more viciously than before. Tomoe blocked his attacks as much as she could, but she felt thorns from the whip graze her shoulder.  
"Because the other you won't!" Tomoe snapped, losing her patience. Youko briefly paused in his onslaught, looking bewildered. Soon, though, his face assumed its usual emotionless mask.  
Tomoe wasn't used to this kind of brutality from Kurama. True, he didn't hold back when they sparred with each other, but Youko truly intended to kill her. She felt the whip bite into her leg, but gritted her teeth through the pain and struck out with her reflector. Now wasn't the time for defense. She was going to beat that damn fox black and blue, and then get the information she needed to know about Tomoe Gozen. It was obvious that he wasn't going to listen to her until he had no choice but to listen.  
Suddenly, Youko stopped his onslaught. Tomoe looked at him, confused. For a second, she wondered if this was a trick to get her to turn her back to him, but then she heard a metallic grating roar coming from behind her, accompanied by Miroku yelling "Sango!". She finally turned, and to her horror saw one of the suits of armor from before lumbering through the clearing, trampling the dead Ojiki plants and lashing out at Inuyasha. Miroku had been laid out flat on his back, having pushed his wife out of the way of a blow, and Kirara was standing over him as he struggled to his feet.  
"Iron reaver!" Inuyasha snarled, trying to slice through the armor. His claws glanced off without a trace.  
"Hatakeyama…" Youko growled in a low voice. "Are all the dead coming back to life now?"  
"What?!" Tomoe turned to look at him in astonishment. "You know this demon? He tried to kill me!" She glared at the spirit fox. "I'll finish beating you up later. This guy comes first." She turned and charged headlong at the suit of armor.  
"Your name's Hatakeyama, right?" She called. The suit of armor suddenly stopped in the middle of delivering a wild haymaker toward the half-demon, and turned its empty helmet to face her.  
"Tomoe…" It rasped in a voice that rang emptily in the hollow suit.  
"Yeah, I've heard that before." Tomoe growled. Her reflector began to spin like a sawblade as she raised it to strike. Before she could do anything, however, the suit of armor raised its right arm. Instead of a gauntlet, there was a wicked-looking crossbow at the end of its wrist. It aimed a bolt at Tomoe.  
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Tomoe held up her reflector to block it. She braced herself for an impact, but was surprised to find just how little force the bolt gave off as it broke against the reflector.

"It's poison! Get back!" A voice shouted. She wasn't sure what surprised her more: the cloud of noxious gas that erupted from the broken bolt, or the fact that Youko had grabbed her around the waist and unceremoniously thrown her to the side.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Tomoe looked up to see Youko facing off against the suit of armor she now knew as Hatakeyama.  
"This is a fight I didn't even know I'd get the chance to have." Youko glanced sideways at her briefly. "I'll get back to you later. This quarry is one who has denied me for far too long."  
Tomoe watched him summon a plant with large, broad leaves. He quickly ripped off one and held it over his mouth and nose to keep from breathing in the poisonous gas. Peering through the smoke, she saw that Sango now had on a gas mask, and was helping Miroku to safety on Kirara. InuYasha was getting Kagome out of the way as well.

Hatakeyama took a step towards Youko. The demon was unfazed as he summoned another plant. More Ojiki sprung up almost immediately, latching on to Hatakeyama's arms and legs. The plant around his right arm withered and died upon contact. While the Ojiki tried to pull the suit of armor apart, Hatakeyama began to grip each of the plants with his crossbow hand, and one by one they also began to wither.  
"The Ojiki aren't doing what I want them to." Youko growled.  
"No shit, Sherlock. I could have told you that." Tomoe snapped. "It's like that thing is diseased or something…"  
"Get out of the way!" She heard Kagome cry. Looking up, she saw that the priestess held an arrow in her bow.  
"Youko, you don't want to be hit by that." Tomoe warned. "Let her take a shot and see what happens."  
Youko stepped back, watching carefully. Hatakeyama began to lumber toward him, but Kagome fired her arrow directly into its helmet. It passed through the helmet and came out through the chest, but still the armor kept coming. However, the noxious cloud around the armor dissipated.  
"She purified the suit of armor's evil aura!" Shippo cried.  
"Perfect." Youko summoned several demonic vines. This time, the plants had no trouble latching onto the struggling suit of armor. They held it immobile as Youko came up to Hatakeyama. With a flick of his wrist, the rose whip severed the crossbow hand, which fell lifelessly to the forest floor.  
"Why have you returned, Hatakeyama?" He asked in a low voice. "What reason does a pathetic human like you have for coming back from the dead? If you are even human at all."  
The suit of armor said nothing.  
"You refuse to answer?" Youko went on. "Have you returned at someone's behest? Who has summoned you? I have ways of making you tell me what I want to know…"  
"Tomoe…" The suit of armor echoed.  
"That is not true." Youko growled. "Have you come to kill her again?"  
That got Tomoe's attention.  
"Wait, what?" She asked. Youko ignored her, focused on the suit of armor before him.  
"Where are the others?" He sneered. "There surely is more than just you. You were never too clever to act on your own."  
The armor lashed out, but was held fast by vines.  
"You won't talk to me? How rude. I'm insulted, Hatakeyama." Youko shrugged. "It matters not. I will find out soon enough." He held up his hand, and the vines began to pull.  
"Wait, hang on!" Tomoe held out a hand to stop him, but it was too late. The vines ripped Hatakeyama apart, and he fell into a heap of scrap metal and rust. It didn't move anymore.  
"I wanted to ask him questions too, you jerk." Tomoe got to her feet and dusted herself off.  
"Why?" Youko looked over at her. "You obviously have no idea what is going on here, woman."  
"My name is TOMOE." She said hotly.  
"No, it is not." Youko countered. "You are an imposter. I do not know how, and I do not know why, but I intend to find out."  
"I'm not an imposter." Tomoe grumbled. "And if you would just LISTEN TO ME FOR FIVE GODDAMN MINUTES I CAN TELL YOU WHY."  
Youko looked at her for a long time. Finally, he nodded, a barely imperceptible inclination of the head.  
"Come with my friends and I and I'll explain." Tomoe said tiredly.  
"I'm not going anywhere." Youko said. "I have no desire to. I will listen to you for five minutes. And then I will kill you." He sat down on a nearby rock and raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Go on then, imposter. Enlighten me."  
Tomoe couldn't believe that this arrogant ass was actually Kurama.  
"Fine." She sat down on a fallen tree trunk on the opposite side of the clearing. "I will."


	12. Chapter 12: The Tragedy of Tomoe, part 1

"Hey, Kurama?" Kuwabara looked up from poking at the fire he and Yusuke had done their best to build.  
"Yes?" Kurama had been staring into the fire, but snapped to attention at the sound of his name.

"I've been doing a lot of research at the library on this Tomoe Gozen business..." He chewed on one of the river fish he'd managed to catch.

"You know where a library is?" Yusuke smirked.

"I'll have you know I've got a 4.0 GPA, Urameshi, so bite me." Kuwabara snapped. "Besides, Momo said she'd get me the new Megallica album if I'd do a little legwork for her." He turned back to Kurama. "But yeah. Anyway, the books I've looked at and stuff… the legend doesn't mention you all that much."

"I can't imagine it would." Kurama said quietly. "The connection between Tomoe and I was taboo. Not only was a human fraternizing with a demon, but a demon bandit, no less. If word about me had gotten well-known, it would have ended badly for her…" His face darkened. "More badly than it did, I suppose." He stared into the fire. "I kept my distance as much as I could."

"How did you end up meeting her, anyway?" Yusuke wondered.

"How do you think?" Kurama cracked a smile. "She had been assigned to protect a rare and valuable artifact. And I wanted it."

 _Youko dashed through the trees, the Kiku no Tomoe amulet clutched tightly in his hand. He could hear the thundering of hooves behind him as the militiamen assigned to protect the pendant rushed after him in an effort to recover the amulet and what was left of their wounded pride. This was just like all the other places he had visited. No matter how many people were sent to guard the item he desired, it was no use. They were expecting human thieves, not demonic ones. It was almost insultingly simple to him to steal the amulet. He'd taken the form of the commander of the troops, after distracting said commander with a paralytic and stowing him in a cellar somewhere, and simply told the men that he was there to relieve them of duty. After that, the pendant was his._

 _He suddenly heard the twang of a bowstring, and before he knew it there came a sharp pain in his shoulder. The force of the arrow was such that it pinned him to a nearby tree. He reached up to yank out the arrow, but another one pinned the opposite wrist to the tree trunk. He cried out in pain, scanning the trees for his assailant. Whoever was able to wield a bow of that power must be strong._

 _He was surprised, however, to see a woman stepping out of the woods and walking toward him. He was an appreciator of beauty, and she certainly was. Her hair was black as night, as were her large dark eyes. She wore the armor of a samurai, and carried a massive bow with a surprising amount of ease._

 _"_ _Ah, a fox." She mused. Youko bared his teeth at her. Humans were easily scared, and she would be no different. But this woman only smiled. How infuriating._

 _"_ _If you're going to kill me, get it over with." He said in a low voice. "I don't have all night."_

 _"_ _Neither do I." She said matter-of-factly. She looked at him for a long while, somewhat curious._

 _"_ _What do you want, woman?" Youko growled._

 _"_ _What is your name?" She asked. "I've never met a demon before."_

 _"_ _Why in Heaven's name should I tell you that?" Youko asked witheringly. "Quite a naive question. Honestly, if you're going to ask me questions all night, I'd rather you just kill me." He yanked his wrist free, hissing at the pain of it, and reached for the arrow in his shoulder. It burned him as soon as he touched it._

 _"_ _That arrow has been blessed by a priestess." The woman said. "You can't remove it." She walked closer. Youko did not like this. She truly wasn't afraid. That would be her downfall. He tensed, ready to cut her down with his claws if he needed to. The rose he normally carried to make his whip was lying placidly on the other side of the clearing. And the blessed arrow was making it nearly impossible to move a single muscle. That didn't mean he was defenseless, though. He just had to think of a plan B._

 _"_ _You have something I want." The woman walked over and gripped his injured wrist hard. The pain was just enough to force Youko to loosen his grip on the Kiku No Tomoe pendant. He braced himself against the tree, ready to strike. But as he did, another item fell from his pocket. Puzzled, the woman bent to pick up the ancient scroll._

 _"_ _Something tells me this isn't yours, either." She held it inches from his grasp._

 _"_ _Take it away and you'll be no better than a thief like me." Youko smirked. "You humans are all alike. You take whatever you please."_

 _"_ _I'm not the one who's just gotten captured for stealing something." The woman said flatly. She looked at the scroll for a while, then slipped it back inside his robes._

 _"_ _What are you doing?" He asked._

 _"_ _You're right." The woman said. "If I take the scroll, I'll be lowering myself to your level. This is all I was asked to recover, anyway." She held up the pendant. A grin lit up her face. "I'll get the scroll back next time I catch you, fox." She looked up at the sky as it began to cloud over._

 _"_ _The blessing on that arrow won't last forever."_

 _"_ _Is it because you're too impure to wield it for long?" Youko sneered. For a moment, he thought he saw her hide a laugh._

 _"_ _Wouldn't you like to know?" She tucked the pendant safely into the sleeve of her kimono. "Anyway, it should wear off soon. Hopefully you won't be caught out in this storm for too long." She held her hand out to catch a few of the first ran drops from the oncoming storm._

 _"_ _You do realize I'm going to kill you, correct?" Youko growled as she turned to leave._

 _"_ _You can try." She said simply. "But the fact of the matter is, I'm going to kill you first. Until next time, Fox." She waved and shouldered her bow before vanishing into the darkness. Youko stared at the spot she had last stood, gritting his teeth as an icy-cold rain began to drench him. He would find that woman. He would take back that pendant. It was no longer a matter of if he wanted it or not. This was a matter of pride._

"Needless to say, we didn't get along very well at the start." Kurama shrugged. "But something had struck me. She hadn't been afraid. This was her first time seeing a demon, but she still wasn't afraid. To someone who had a reputation for being fearsome, it was quite an insult. I had to change that."

"Did it change?"

"Not in the way I expected it to, that was for sure." Kurama said with a small smile.

 _This woman was driving Youko insane. She always seemed to know just how to catch him. He'd been poked full of arrows, immobilized with sutras, everything under the sun. She would catch him and taunt him, take the pendant back, then let him be. It was infuriating._

 _Finally, though, he had her. With his rose whip, he was able to quickly flit behind a tree The woman ran into the clearing, an arrow set in her bow. That was when Youko sprung his trap. Vines burst out of the ground, encircling her legs. The woman let out a yelp of surprise and slashed at the vines with her sword, but more kept coming. Finally, she was securely lashed to a tree… the same tree, Youko thought with pride, that she had trapped him against the first time he had tried to steal the amulet._

 _"_ _Well, well. How quickly the tables turn." He couldn't help but get a little theatrical now that she was caught. She glared at him and struggled against the vines surrounding her._

 _"_ _I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said casually. "The more you struggle, the tighter they get. If the thorns on them break your skin, you'll be dead within hours."_

 _The woman froze._

 _"_ _You're going to kill me, aren't you." She said. Youko said nothing._

 _"_ _If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer a quick death to a slow one." She narrowed her eyes at him. "If you're going to do it, get it over with. I'm sick and tired of people who are in love with the sound of their own voice."_

 _"_ _Have I struck a nerve, woman?" Asked Youko. He dangled the Kiku No Tomoe pendant in front of her face. "Or perhaps you're angry because I've finally won?"_

 _The woman said nothing._

 _"_ _Perhaps you'd like to finally know the name of your murderer—"_

 _"_ _You're Youko Kurama."_

 _He paused._

 _"_ _I might not have met demons before, but I was able to find out who you are with relative ease." She said matter-of-factly. "You've got quite the reputation."_

 _"_ _I am aware."_

 _"_ _And you don't know who I am, do you?"_

 _"_ _I see no need to find out." Youko countered. "You humans are merely insects."_

 _"_ _And yet this insect has managed to catch you nearly twenty times now."_

 _"_ _Only sixteen."_

 _"_ _You do keep track. I knew it." The woman smirked. "And you don't even want to know what my name is, Youko?"_

 _"_ _Not particularly." He responded. He thought for a while, then took the pendant out of his pocket. He went closer to her. For a while, the woman stared up at him, transfixed. He wasn't quite sure why. She seemed to come to, however, when she felt him tug at the neck of her kimono._

 _"_ _Don't you touch me!" She said in alarm._

 _"_ _I'd rather avoid it, to be honest." Youko sneered. "But this is too good to pass up." He held open the neck of her kimono and dropped the Kiku no Tomoe pendant down her shirt. She let out a yelp of surprise as the cold metal touched her skin._

 _"_ _There's a storm coming." Youko said, raising his voice to be heard over the roll of thunder. "I highly suggest you figure out how to get away from these vines before it hits. I imagine you'd have to have help getting rid of them." His ears twitched as he picked up the sound of humans. Five of them. On horseback. Maybe two miles away._

 _"_ _As much as I would love to stay and listen to you explain how the pendant ended up in its current position," He smirked, "I should be off."_

 _"_ _You're not going to steal the pendant?" The woman blinked as a raindrop hit her on the nose. "You're not going to kill me? I don't understand…"_

 _"_ _I'm not going to kill you until I even the score. Sixteen wins for sixteen losses." Youko said. "Mark my words. I will even the score, and then I will kill you." He felt the rain begin to fall, and went back into the trees, leaving the samurai to get soaked through. He didn't look back, but as he kept going, he couldn't help but think to himself: 'sixteen to one. I'll get even.'_

"She kicked your ass even as a human? Man, that must have sucked." Yusuke laughed.

"It was something I wasn't used to, of course." Kurama said. "I was determined to get my revenge. First, I would even the score. I didn't want to kill her then and there, because then it would be sixteen losses and only two wins. I was too proud to let that go."

 _Six months had passed. The score was twenty to fifteen. Youko was catching up, but the woman was still holding her own._

 _Tomoe. He knew her name now. He had heard someone say it. Now, there were few shots fired between the two of them. If she caught his clothing or the tip of his tail, he'd drop the pendant and disappear into the night. All he needed to do was trip her up, pull her off her horse or set a trap. She was tough enough to evade most things. Still, she had more wins than he did. He was bound and determined to even the score._

 _He was surprised to come to Shimeji Castle and find that she wasn't there. She was more often than not on patrol. Come to think of it, there wasn't even much of a guard._

 _The wind changed direction, and the acrid odor of medicinal herbs and the stench of death reached him. He frowned. This was more than if one person had fallen ill and died. This was enough medicine for dozens. Shimeji Castle was in the middle of an epidemic._

 _"_ _Youko?" He looked down from his perch in a tall tree and was surprised to see Tomoe looking up at him. She looked more tired than he had seen her before, and wore no armor. He could tell that there were medicinal herbs in the basket she held._

 _"_ _Shouldn't you be prepared to lose our match this evening?" He frowned._

 _"_ _I don't have time for that right now. Come back in a few days." Tomoe said. "There are dozens of sick people throughout the castle. Everyone who is well enough is doing what they can to take care of them. You're too proud to steal the pendant while the castle is crippled. It would be a hollow victory."_

 _Youko said nothing._

 _"_ _I'll play with you when the sickness goes away." Tomoe dismissed him. "Go steal something else." She turned and went back toward the castle._

'Play?' _Youko was insulted. This was war! He was about to go after her, but people were coming. He vanished into the trees._

 _He came later, only to find that Tomoe Gozen was nowhere in sight. He searched the castle grounds as much as he could, but she did not appear. Finally, he disguised himself as one of the servants (the commander from before was easy enough, and he was reacquainted with his cellar). He strode into the castle and tried to pick Tomoe's scent out of the hundreds of others in this castle._

 _Finally, he was able to locate her. He had started to suspect she had fallen prey to the sickness that was going throughout the castle, and he was disappointed to find that he was right. Seeing her lying in her bed, looking pale and drawn, feeling the heat from her feverish skin without even touching her… it wasn't something Youko had expected to see from her. Suddenly he realized… she was human. A frail, mortal woman. He nearly flinched in surprise when she opened her eyes. She looked over at him in confusion._

 _"_ _Captain Otake?" She whispered. "Why aren't you guarding the amulet?"_

 _Youko said nothing. He was still caught off guard from seeing her so sick. He scrambled to think of a believable lie. But Tomoe smiled. It looked like it almost took too much effort._

 _"_ _You're not Otake." She said. "This is the same trick you pulled the night we met, isn't it?" He looked in surprise, but cracked a small smile._

 _"_ _I was afraid it would be too predictable." Youko said. "So. You_ _took care of the sick, and in return all you received was the disease."_

 _"_ _Have you come to kill me, Youko?" Tomoe murmured. "This isn't very sportsmanlike of you. Downright cheating, if you ask me." She rested back against her pillow and closed her eyes again. "Well, if you're going to do it, get it over with. I'd always thought I'd die in battle, not wasting away like this. You spend too much time thinking about your death. So go ahead." Her face grew sad. "I'm dying anyway."_

 _"_ _You are not." Youko said sharply. "Stop being so melodramatic." He thought for a while, but soon heard footsteps coming down the hallway. He had to make this quick._

 _Tomoe looked up when he set a small handful of various plants down beside her bed.  
"Poison?" She whispered.  
"Medicine, you fool." He said quietly. "You'll be fine. I will see you when you are well again." _

_When a monk coming to give last rites to Tomoe Gozen stopped by a few hours later, he was shocked to find a supposedly dying woman sitting upright in bed, with her fever broken and color slowly returning to her face._

 _Youko had grown accustomed to the land around Shimeji castle. He had amused himself by stealing a few things here and there, but more often than not kept his eye on the grounds. Strangely enough, he no longer was interested in stealing the amulet. He didn't now why, and he didn't know why he stayed._

 _"_ _Down here." He looked down and was surprised to see Tomoe looking up at him._

 _"_ _She lives." He said with a smirk._

 _"_ _She does." She replied. "Come down."_

 _Youko realized she didn't have a bow with her. He let himself drop from the branch, landing a good distance away from her._

 _"_ _You're unarmed." He said. "That's unusual for you."_

 _"_ _Be quiet and walk with me." Said Tomoe. She walked past him into the forest. Youko, confused, followed her._

 _"_ _You wanted to kill me six months ago, didn't you." Tomoe said quietly._

 _"_ _I still do."_

 _"_ _Liar." She smirked back at him. "You could have killed me already if that were true."_

 _"_ _I could also be lulling you into a false sense of security in order to gain your trust, then break your spirit and destroy you from the inside out." Youko said._

 _"_ _That seems more like you, but I don't think that is the case." Tomoe walked closer to him._

 _"_ _Then what do you think it is?" Youko asked, quirking an eyebrow. "I'm interested in hearing your foolish little theory."_

 _"_ _I think you're in love with me." Tomoe said simply. Youko looked at her, stunned._

 _"_ _I beg your pardon?"_

 _"_ _You're not saying no." She said as she went to the river._

 _"_ _Because you're delusional." Youko countered as he followed her. "There is no need for me to respond." He smirked. "Perhaps this is wishful thinking on your part. I think you are the one who is obsessed with me."_

 _"_ _And what if I am?" She said quietly. Youko paused. He was expecting Tomoe to lash out or snap back at him, but she did not. He looked back at her, and saw her standing on the edge of the river, looking at him with an unreadable expression on her face._

 _"_ _You could have killed me so many times already, but you haven't." She walked closer to him. Youko didn't know if he should stay put or back away. "You could have let me die, but you didn't. You've been watching over me. You can't tell me there's not something there."_

 _"_ _Tomoe, I'm starting to think you're not entirely well yet." Youko said quietly. Still, his mind was racing. She was right. He could have let her die. He could have slaughtered her like he had so many others before. Why didn't he? Each time he met those dark eyes, it became infuriatingly impossible. And here she was, coming closer and closer, those eyes fixed on his, and he couldn't move away. He didn't want to._

 _Before he knew it, she was in his arms. Or was he in hers? It was hard to tell now._

 _"_ _This is a horrible idea, I know." She was saying. "Demons and humans can never truly be…"_

 _Youko let her talk. She tried to talk herself out of it, then convinced herself that seeing him was a sin, an abomination, a horrible flaw of character. But then she merely held him tighter._

 _"_ _Tomoe." He had merely murmured it into her hair, a barely audible whisper, but she heard him._

 _"_ _Yes?" She stopped her monologue to look up at him. He touched her cheek, moving to tangle his hand in her dark hair._

 _"_ _Stop talking." He said, lowering his lips to hers._

Kurama was unable to sleep. He remembered the night they had first kissed. He remembered everything about Tomoe Gozen. But Tomoe Kanzaki did not.

When he had first met her, _really_ met her, that day in the alley when they had both been children, he had wanted to tell her everything. Tell her who he was, who she was, what they were. But as he got to know the girl with the reflector on her back, he realized he had no right to tell her anything. She might have Tomoe Gozen's soul, but Tomoe Kanzaki was a completely different person. Who was he to tell her what she was like in a past life? Tomoe's life was her own to live, not for him to tell her how she should live it. And so he kept everything from her. She found out he was Youko Kurama during the Dark Tournament, but there was no recognition in her eyes. She knew nothing of her previous life, and as far as Kurama was concerned, it could stay that way. But he would remember. He would remember everything, and keep the old mistakes from happening again. But now as he thought back to it, he wondered if that was truly the best thing to do.


	13. Chapter 13: And now, zombies

"So that's it, then." Tomoe said. She walked beside Youko back toward the camp. "There's a connection between Tomoe Gozen and I, but I have no idea what it is, and it's driving me insane."

"I suspect you may be her reincarnation." Youko said quietly. "She possessed the amulet when she died… perhaps this is what the legend meant by 'reincarnating into a stronger form'."

Tomoe nodded. She'd started to think that that might be the case, especially since she found out her friend Kagome was a reincarnation of a powerful priestess. She hadn't believed in reincarnation before, but since then her views had changed.

"But I don't understand why you… well, future you… didn't tell me." She said. "Don't I have a right to know?"

Youko said nothing.

"Tell me about her." Tomoe said. "It's my past life, and I deserve to know about it, dammit." She glowered up at him.

"I will tell you of your past," Youko said, "Provided you tell me of my future."

Tomoe paused. If she told Youko he'd end up inhabiting a human body, he would probably do everything he could to prevent it. If Youko never ended up living as Suuichi, he would never gain feelings of kindness and compassion from living among humans. He would never meet Yusuke, he would never meet her…

"No can do." She shook her head. "Think about it. Say I tell you something happens in the future that you don't like. So obviously you'd do what you can to not have that thing occur. But what if the aftereffects of said event leads to you saving my life? If you don't go through the undesirable event, then you won't end up saving me. It's a matter of self-preservation."

"I very much dislike admitting when I am wrong." Youko said.

"I'll take that as a 'quite right, Tomoe, and I must say I am dazzled by your beauty and intelligence and poise—" Tomoe stumbled over a root and turned red.

"Oh yes. Quite poised." Youko smirked.

"Shut your cakehole." Tomoe growled. "Anyway, if you won't tell me about Tomoe Gozen, do you at least know of a black cherry tree? You're good with plants, you have to know…"

"A black cherry tree?" Youko stopped walking. "Like it's been burned?"

"No, no, it's a healthy tree." Tomoe explained. "But instead of pretty pink flowers like most cherry trees, these ones are solid black. It's on an island—"

"An island in a lagoon beneath the place where Uchida Bridge once stood." Youko said quietly. "Yes. I know it well."

"You do?" Tomoe glared at him. "I knew it. You lied to me. Well, not YOU you, but… you know what I mean. What does it mean?"

"How do you know of it?"

"I've dreamed about it." Tomoe said. "The dreams would only come once a month for as long as I can remember… but lately they'd been coming nightly. Even when I nap during the day during class."

"Hm." Youko frowned. "What year are you from?"

"2020." Tomoe said. "Why?"

"I see. Then it would be five hundred years since Tomoe Gozen died." Youko said. "Perhaps that is the reason the frequency of those dreams is increasing."

"I found the tree." Tomoe said. "And when I touched the marking, the tree split open and a suit of armor came out…"

"Hatakeyama?"

"No, this one was different." She said. "So, what does it mean? What's the black cherry tree there for?" She frowned. "Did you plant it?"

"I did." Youko finally nodded. "Many years ago." He sighed. "It's where she is buried. That tree is the only marker for Tomoe Gozen's grave."

Tomoe was quiet for a long time.

"Somehow, I think I already knew it." She said quietly. "But if it's her grave, why did those things come out of the tree?"

"I'm not sure." Youko said. "You're heading east. I assume you're trying to find it."

"It's what dragged me back to this time, so yeah." Tomoe nodded. "Maybe going back to it will get me home… somehow." She looked back to Youko. "you know where it is. Why don't you come with us?"

"I don't think so." Youko said. "I see no need."

"Are you kidding?" Tomoe gaped at him. "Well, I'm the reincarnation of your dead girlfriend, so that's gotta count for something… Come on, please?" She gave him a hopeful smile, but it faded when she saw the expression on Youko's face. He almost looked… sad.

"No." He turned, and before Tomoe could call after him, he vanished back into the forest.

Tomoe was quiet as she walked with the group down the road the next morning. She'd barely slept at all, and the sun had risen way too early. She plodded along, slightly annoyed at the fact that Kagome and Sango were chatting away. It was too damn early for that.

No, wait… it wasn't early anymore. The shadows were lengthening. It was afternoon sometime. Her phone had died long ago. How long had she been walking there, spaced out and not talking to anyone? She was tired, hungry, thirsty...

"Can we stop somewhere?" She looked up at the clouds on the horizon and frowned. "A storm's coming."

"Not for a few more hours." InuYasha said, sniffing the air. "We'll be fine."

"But I want a dry place to sleep really soon." Tomoe frowned more. "Come on, please?"

"Well, I AM starting to sense a demonic aura." Miroku said. "Perhaps at the home of the village headman."

"Miroku, you conman…" Sango warned.

"Wait…" Tomoe grinned. "You have fake exorcisms so you can have a warm bed?"

"Don't forget a good meal." Miroku grinned back.

"I can make my reflector bang around in the walls if you want." She said.

"Really? That would be most helpful!"

"I'm kind of worried that Tomoe and Miroku are teaming up on this…" Kagome whispered to InuYasha.

"You said it." Nodded InuYasha.

Before long, by that evening the monk (with help from his trusty new assistant) had secured all of them a place to sleep, a bath and a hot meal.

"You're good at this." Tomoe praised under her breath.

"What can I say? I've had lots of practice." Miroku muttered back.

"He's incorrigible." Said Sango.  
"Says the woman who is about to go take a hot bath and relax." Miroku's face softened. He gave her backside a fond pat as she left. "You deserve it."

Sango sighed as if in exasperation, but she was smiling. She walked off towards the bath, Kirara at her heels.

"And there goes the most patient woman in the world." InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I don't know how she puts up with a con artist like you."

Tomoe laughed softly to herself as she went to the room where everyone was left to sleep. Folding screens had been set up to separate the large room into three sections: A place for Miroku and Sango, a place for InuYasha and Kagome, and a small place by the door for herself… and Shippo, she supposed. She pulled up the bedroll around herself and, despite the fact that it was still early in the evening, sank into an exhausted sleep.

Something made her wake up. She wasn't sure what it was. When she first opened her eyes, she saw a darkened room. Everyone was asleep. She sat up, still a little confused, and opened the sliding door slightly to look out at the night.

Something was wrong.

There was an orange glow on the horizon that shouldn't be there. It was moving closer, growing brighter.

"Wake up." She said softly. "Something's coming."

"I know." She flinched when she heard InuYasha's voice. He was sitting against the wall, his gold eyes the only pinpoints of light in the gloom.

"It's human, from what I can tell." She said.

"No." He shook his head. "I'm getting a whiff of rust and metal… the same scent Hatakeyama had."

Tomoe frowned and nodded.

"Well," She said, "I guess we should go see what's going on."

Within minutes, everyone was awake.

"I'm sensing a demonic aura, that's for sure." Sango said quietly.

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' it's one of the armor suits from before." InuYasha muttered under his breath as they padded quietly through the halls of the mansion. "But more importantly than that… I'm smelling blood."

Tomoe sniffed the air. She couldn't detect a thing.

"Don't bother." Shippo said from Kagome's shoulder. "InuYasha's got a more sensitive nose than anyone I know."

"Well, if he senses blood, someone might be in trouble." Tomoe said. "Let's get going."

The grounds outside the mansion were stripped of trees due to farming. Dozens, if not hundreds of people were making their way toward them.

It was as if every able-bodied man and woman from the village was out. They were holding torches and gardening implements, spears and swords, and were staggering toward the headman's house.

"Something tells me they're not here to visit." Shippo stammered.

"Something's wrong with them." Miroku said in a low voice.

"I get ya." InuYasha growled. "They reek of blood, but I don't see any wounds on 'em or anything…"

Tomoe looked at them harder, and a chill ran down her spine when she saw the milky, glazed eyes and slack jaws of every one of the humans storming the headman's house.

"This looks like a late-night horror movie," Kagome grimaced.

"I think they're all…" Tomoe said, confused.

"Dead?" Miroku looked over at her. "I was afraid of as much." He clenched his right hand. "I almost wish I had my windtunnel back again."

"We can handle it." InuYasha said. "Come on, let's go find out what they want."

Miroku and Sango looked uneasy, but they followed.

It was as if everyone in the village was now a zombie. They groaned and shuffled toward the group. Tomoe felt a chill run down her spine. She hated zombie movies.

"We can't kill them." Kagome said sharply. "Not until we're sure that they can't all be saved."

"Right." Nodded InuYasha. "But knocking all these guys out is gonna be a pain."

"Not when you've got one of these." Tomoe summoned her reflector. She was about to say more, but an unearthly cry shook the air all around them. They looked for the source of the sound and found a second suit of armor, a colossal one at that. It held in its hand a long sword, gleaming brightly despite the dimness. With a guttural cry, the villagers turned angry eyes toward InuYasha and his traveling party… and charged.


	14. Chapter 14: A sight for sore (third) eye

Tomoe had faced multiple foes at once before, but never an entire army. Still, she plunged into the fray. These were humans, she had to remind herself. She knocked as many as she could back, but no matter how hard she hit them, they would always stagger to their feet and keep coming.

"I don't understand!" Miroku threw a man to the side. "What is going on here?"

"I think that armor suit is controlling them!" Kagome called. "If we can get to it and destroy it, maybe the villagers will return to normal!"

"But how are we supposed to do that?!" InuYasha snarled as he punched another man in the face and dodged someone's thrown pitchfork. "He's all the way over there and we have all these people to deal with!"

"Tomoe, you need to get airborne and take out the armor suit." Sango called over the sound of battle.

"Me? Why me?" Tomoe blocked a man's hoe that he was swinging in wide arcs.

"Shut up and do it!" InuYasha yelled. Tomoe nodded, then jumped in the air, using an unfortunate farmer or two as stepping stones. She slid her reflector beneath her feet and kept it airborne. Soon she was several feet above their heads.

"I'll do what I can!" She called. She looked discouraged as she saw her friends surrounded by hostile villagers. Still, she had to try. She couldn't afford to fail.

She could see the demon, its armor glinting fiery red in the torchlight. The emblem on its shoulders, four flowers in a diamond shape, seemed to glow.

"Over here!" She called as she flew closer. The suit of armor hefted its sword and turned to face her. It was massive, and the blade crackled with electricity.

"Tomoe…" It echoed.

"Yeah, it's me." Tomoe growled. "Enough with the stupid vagueness, call off your minions and fight me!" She lowered her reflector to take it into a landing. She landed with a running start toward the armor and brought the reflector up in full.

 _I have to take him out in one shot._ She thought to herself. _The others are counting on me._ She felt her demonic energy flood into the reflector. It began to glow a vibrant red. She moved it so that it faced the armor suit, throwing more of her energy into it and causing it to glow even brighter.

"Solar flare!" Tomoe yelled. A blast of energy shot out from the reflector and hit the suit of armor at nearly point-blank range. It sent it hurtling back several dozen yards, leaving a deep track in the ground in its wake.

"Come on…" Tomoe watched the cloud of smoke, waiting for it to clear. "Stay down, just stay the fuck down…" She tensed, looking back at the mass of possessed villagers. They were still coming. Her face fell. Suddenly, she heard the sound of thunderous footsteps, and the suit of armor burst forth from the cloud, sword held high to swing. Tomoe was able to hold her reflector up to block the sword just in time. It was an immense force, so much so that Tomoe was also sent back quite a distance.  
 _Damn he's strong…_ She thought to herself. _This isn't good._

She looked back at Kagome and her friends. The priestess herself was on top of a large pink bubble Tomoe assumed to be Shippo. It kept her out of the fray. InuYasha, Sango and Miroku were being overwhelmed. They were doing their best, but more people kept coming.

 _I'm not gonna give up._ Tomoe thought to herself. _These armored things are here for me, not them!_ She held up her reflector and ran at the armored suit again. She didn't know how she was going to defeat it, but she was going to try. She let out a cry and struck at the armor, jumping to the side to dodge the glowing sword. It hit the ground and left a dark scorch mark. The reflector collided with a gauntlet, and Tomoe let out a harsh laugh when she saw the hand come clean off.

"So you ARE vulnerable…" She grinned. "Next I'll take the other arm." She steadied herself and readied for another charge. The Solar Flare had taken a good deal of her energy. She knew she wasn't as strong as before, but it had to be enough to take out this armor. It had to.

The second swipe from the sword narrowly missed Tomoe. Despite this, she felt an electric shock run through her entire body. She let out a howl of pain and sank to her knees. She was paralyzed. Even the slightest movement of her body caused shock waves to shoot up and down her frame, from her head to her toes. She fought hard to get to her feet, her reflector spinning like a sawblade.

 _This thing's gonna kill me…_ She thought to herself. _I'm dead…_ She looked up at the blade swinging down toward her, unable to even lift her arms to defend herself.

Suddenly, the suit of armor stopped. Tomoe watched as a bubbling motion began in its chestplate. The metal seemed to boil before it split open, revealing a gout of black flame. It spread and spiderwebbed outwards, cris-crossing the suit of armor dozens of times. The armor let out a guttural roar, and before Tomoe's eyes it fell apart like a jigsaw puzzle. The sword, still clutched in a gauntleted hand, came to rest on the ground at Tomoe's feet.

As soon as the suit of armor died, the villagers stopped attacking. They slumped to their knees and fell at the feet of InuYasha, Miroku and Sango. Shippo let Kagome down to the ground. The five of them looked to Tomoe. Tomoe looked, confused, to the suit of armor and whoever had destroyed it. A lithe figure stepped up to walk over the wreckage toward her.

"You honestly let this overgrown tin can get the better of you?" Hiei asked as he sheathed his sword, which still crackled with demonic flame. "I'm surprised at you, Tomoe. These years since the battle with Sensui have made you soft."

Tomoe gaped at him.

"H-hiei?" She stammered.

"What, have you forgotten me already?" He rose an eyebrow, still frowning. "You have the worst memory of anyone I've ever seen—" He grunted in shock as Tomoe ran toward him and threw her arms around his neck.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Tomoe asked. "How did you get here? How did you know where I was? Are the others with you?"

Decidedly unused to such displays of affection, Hiei shoved her away from him.

"You know I hate it when you do that." He said shortly. "I don't know where the others are. All I know is that one of Mukuro's sources told me what happened to you. So I found my way here. End of story." He looked uneasy as he saw her slumped on her knees. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's nothing." Tomoe let out a hollow laugh. "I'm just really glad you're here." Hiei was able to find her. If he could, then so could Kurama, Kazuma and Yusuke. She knew she could hold her own, but knowing that the three of them could possibly be coming to help made her feel so much better.

"You're still staring." Hiei said. "You may have a concussion."

"It's called being happy to see you, you ass." Tomoe got to her feet. "You're going to stay with me until I can go home, right?"

"I suppose." Hiei shrugged. "All Mukuro told me was that I was going back to the Feudal Era." He looked over at her. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Not sure." Tomoe smiled tiredly. "Youko Kurama is involved, I know that much. He's an ass and I kind of hate him."

"Really?" Hiei smirked. "Sounds like you have an interesting story to tell."

"Damn straight I do." Tomoe nodded. "Come on. Let's go check to make sure my friends aren't dead."

Hiei nodded. "Lead the way."


	15. Chapter 15: Detective Kurama

Yusuke hated camping outside. He was a modern, 21st century man, and dammit he wanted modern 21st century amenities. Running water, air conditioning, especially indoor plumbing… TV and Internet obviously… And now here he was, sometime in the 16th century, in some random dude's house. Kurama had more or less told him and Kuwabara to shut up and he'd talked his way into getting a hot meal, a bath, and a roof over their heads for the night.

It was better than last night, when they all slept by a slowly-dying campfire out in the woods. Yusuke was pretty sure his back would never be the same.

He looked up from pummeling his pillow into some semblance of acceptability to see Kurama looking over a folder he had taken from his backpack.

"You weirdo, you took work with you?" He asked.

"This isn't work." Kurama said. He scooted closer and showed Yusuke the contents. It consisted of pictures that had all been printed out off of his computer. The first one was of Tomoe herself. The second was a picture of her with her reflector.

"I can use this to ask around to see if anyone has seen her, or seen someone fighting with this weapon." Kurama explained.

"Oh, I get it." Yusuke nodded. "Probably a bit better than asking 'hey, have you seen our friend? She's Japanese' in the middle of Feudal Japan." He tugged at some of the papers behind the photographs. "What's back here?"

"Research." Kurama started spreading out paper after paper.

"Huh?" Kuwabara looked up from where he had been befriending a stray cat outside. "Whatcha got there, Kurama?"

"They look like… crests of some kind." Yusuke said. "Keiko's mom is really big into her family tree, so she looked back and did some research and put her family crest on the wall. Hey, wait a minute!" His eyes went wide when he saw a familiar symbol. "That's like the one on the back of Tomoe's reflector!"

"The shape itself is called a tomoe, if you recall." Kurama said. "I can also use this to ask around and see if there is anyone in the area with a connection to this symbol. Perhaps Tomoe will be using it to find some answers to whatever questions she has."

"Okay, but why do you have all of these other ones?" Yusuke asked.

"Ah, these." Kurama said. "Well, when I saw the footage of Tomoe being kidnapped and I saw the crest on that suit of armor, I recognized it as that of Ieyoshi."

"Tokugawa Ieyoshi?" Yusuke asked. "Keiko's studying something about that guy…"

"Dude, the Tokugawa shogunate wasn't until the 19th century. Read a book." Kuwabara scoffed.

"Nerd alert." Yusuke hissed back. "I liked you better dumb."

"Bite me, Urameshi!"

"Uchida Ieyoshi was a warlord in the Taira clan during the Genpei war." Kurama pointed to the picture of his crest. "It was well-known that he intended to capture Tomoe Gozen and take her as his concubine." He smirked. "Nowadays, all he is famous for is dying in the battle of Uchida Bridge at Tomoe's hands."

"Badass." Yusuke nodded. "So this Ieyoshi dude is the one who kidnapped Tomoe? But why is he coming back now?"

"Perhaps Tomoe triggered his resurrection accidentally when she visited the island with the black cherry tree." Kurama mused. "It's the only explanation I can think of at this point in time."

"So you know Ieyoshi's crest and all that," Kuwabara picked up another paper of four flowers in a diamond pattern, "But why do you have all of these others?"

"Lady Kaede said that InuYasha and Kagome had rescued Tomoe from four demons that were apparently giant suits of samurai armor." Kurama said. "Tomoe Gozen was a prominent woman and had many enemies, as did the shogun under whom she served. I pulled a list of every samurai clan I could think of from the Genpei war, and then weeded out the ones on the Genji side of things."

"So that leaves the… wait, I know this, the Taira, right?" Yusuke had seen a trailer for a movie about something like that lately.

"Correct." Kurama said. "I assume that these suits of armor all used to be warriors that bore a grudge against Tomoe Gozen, so I eliminated suspects that did not participate in the battles Tomoe fought in. That just leaves these seven." He frowned. "Four of these are our culprits. The other three are dead ends. We'll need to do some asking around to figure out which is which. And we'll need to keep heading East to find Tomoe, that's for certain."

Yusuke looked over at his friend. Kurama was methodical almost to the point of being annoying, but there was something different about him. He was really worried about Tomoe. Obviously, if Keiko had been in a similar situation, Yusuke would be beside himself, too. But Tomoe was an S-class apparition. She could hold her own.

"She's tough." He finally said, in an awkward attempt to offer some kind of comfort to his friend. "Either we'll find her or she'll find us."

Kurama nodded and offered a small smile of thanks before putting the papers away.

"I'm not worried about her running into some lower-level demon, or even a demon lord." He said, his smile fading. "I haven't told you this, but… there is a distinct possibility we may encounter Youko Kurama."

"Hold up." Kuwabara looked up from the stray cat who had now fallen asleep in his lap. "But YOU'RE Youko Kurama."

"I was Youko Kurama in Feudal Japan as well." Kurama said. "It might get tricky if we run into my past self."

"Well, you're smart, can't you convince yourself that you're… yourself? You know?" Yusuke tried to think about if the sentence he had just said had made sense.

"I hope so." Kurama said. "I also hope that Tomoe doesn't run into him first."

"Afraid he's gonna steal her away or somethin'?" Kuwabara snickered.

"I'm afraid he'll tell her more about her past life as Tomoe Gozen." Kurama replied. "If anyone is going to tell her, it's going to be me."

Yusuke nodded.

"All right, enough pillow talk, Kuwabara, get that cat outta here, it's makin' my eyes water. Let's get some rest."


	16. Chapter 16: The Tragedy of Tomoe, Part 2

"So why the hell should we trust that midget weirdo?" InuYasha glared up at Hiei from the campfire he and the others sat around. Stupid newcomer had gone to perch in a tree… on probably the best tree branch in the area. InuYasha was about to get up there, but Hiei had already laid claim to it.

"InuYasha, be nice." Kagome said sharply. "He's Tomoe's friend, so we can trust him. Right?" She looked to Tomoe.

"I trust Hiei with my life." Tomoe said firmly. "I mean, he's definitely got a mean streak a mile wide, and he kind of hates everyone…"

"Your glowing praise is doing wonders for him." Miroku said dryly.

"But he's got a really strict honor code. He and I are friends, about as much as he would care to have friends." Tomoe said. "He came all this way to find me, so I know he can help us find that cherry tree and then help me get home." She settled against the tree she sat beneath. "I'll ask him to use his Jagan Eye to find the tree tomorrow morning. Maybe he can even locate some of the suits of armor."

"We can hope." Sango said. "Let's get some rest. We have a lot of traveling to do tomorrow."

 _Tomoe knew the bandits were after the Kiku no Tomoe pendant. She wasn't about to let them have it. She tucked it safely into her kimono sleeve and dashed toward the forest and ran as fast as she could through the trees._

 _"_ _After her!" The leader called. Horses reared. They could sense a demonic presence, and refused to go any further despite how much the men whipped them. The men finally dismounted and lumbered into the woods after the woman._

 _"_ _Which way did she go?" One of them asked._

 _"_ _Here!" A man knelt to examine some downtrodden grass. "I've tracked bears and wild boars that were more subtle than this." He chuckled._

 _"_ _Follow her." Said the leader. "We'll have the pendant for our own… and a woman to keep us company for the evening." He grinned and unsheathed his sword as he walked._

 _It didn't take them long for them to find her. She was lying prone at the bottom of a ravine. She must have tripped and taken a tumble in the dimness of the deep forest._

 _"_ _Down there!" A man pointed. The bandits moved closer and began to pick their way down the ravine toward her._

 _Suddenly, without warning the ground beneath the first man opened up into a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. He let out a guttural cry as he was swallowed alive. Several large mouths on plant stalks rose up out of the ground and ate more of the men._

 _"_ _Retreat!" Cried one of the bandits._

 _"_ _Hold your ground, they're just plants!" The leader scoffed. He lunged at one of the stalks with a yell and began hacking at it with his sword. The mouth on the end of the stalk let out a screech of pain. The leader of the bandits didn't realize that saliva from the mouth had dripped onto his armor until it had eaten through it and the clothing beneath and gone straight to his flesh._

 _"_ _It burns!" He howled, falling back. "Gods above, it's burning me alive!" He looked up in horror at the mouth coming closer, leaves outstretched to embrace him in death…_

 _Tomoe lay still for a long time, listening to the sound of the Ojiki feeding. She had leaped over the first of the sleeping mouths, knowing that the tree was planted there to only awaken if trodden on. She had lain there to act as bait, and also as protection. Youko could control the Ojiki, but only so much._

 _"_ _You can move now." She heard his voice. "Unless you got bored and fell asleep."_

 _"_ _Thanks for helping with them." Tomoe sat up and brushed the dirt off of her clothes. "They'd been terrorizing the town for weeks, apparently."_

 _"_ _I know." Youko said, helping her to her feet. "You truly live under a rock. Your life completely revolves around that pendant, doesn't it?"_

 _Tomoe looked down at the artifact in her hand._

 _"_ _It does." She said. "My life is about duty. That's all there is to it. Duty to my family name, duty to my lord and master, duty to protect this piece of…" She gripped it tightly, almost hoping it would break._

 _"_ _As long as I am alive, I am bound to this thing." She said quietly. "I will die protecting it."_

 _"_ _Stop saying things like that." Youko admonished her. "You will not die. You're being morbid again." He settled an arm around her shoulders. "I will protect you."_

 _"_ _But you are a demon." Tomoe said. "I am human. I may be strong now, but soon my strength will fade. The strength of a demon does not. Until one day I'll be struck down as an old maid… probably eaten by something." She looked up at him. "I know you know that too."_

 _Youko said nothing, but his grip on her shoulder tightened._

 _"_ _There is a way." He murmured. "I've heard of a jewel, made by a priestess not too long ago. If I were to acquire it for you, perhaps it would turn you into a demon like myself."_

 _"_ _What makes you think I want to be a demon?" Tomoe asked. "I like being human. Besides, I might turn into some horrible demon with five eyes and three arms and… I don't know, antlers."_

 _"_ _Antlers?"_

 _"_ _For all I know, antlers." She shook her head. "No. I don't want anything like that. From what I know from guarding this necklace, artifacts like that jewel only cause misery to those who possess them."_

 _"_ _Then why not take the pendant for yourself?" Asked Youko._

 _Tomoe paused as they walked._

 _"_ _You mean steal it?" She blinked up at him. "Stealing is your thing, not mine. Besides, once that pendant turns up missing and I'm nowhere to be found, don't you think Yoshinaka will put two and two together?" She looked up at him, amused. "You're smarter than that, Youko. I know you're just telling me things to make me feel better."_

 _"_ _I could pay someone to make a replica of the pendant and no one would be the wiser." Youko said. "I know a few craftsmen. It would take me a few days, but if I leave tonight I can return before the new moon."_

 _Tomoe thought for a while._

 _"_ _And then what would happen if I stole it?" She asked._

 _"_ _We go far away from this place." Youko said firmly. "Even to the continent. Everyone will think Shimeji castle has the pendant and stay focused on it while we escape."_

 _"_ _We?" Tomoe smiled softly. "Together?"_

 _Youko said nothing, but hugged her closer as they walked._

Tomoe woke up and stared up at the treetops above her. It was still pitch black outside, the night air filled with the thrum of crickets and frogs. That dream had felt so real. And the warmth in Youko's face… it was the Kurama she knew and loved so much. He and Tomoe Gozen had been lovers, they'd even planned on running away together. But what led to her death?


	17. Chapter 17: Wanted

Yusuke wasn't the best at reading people. He knew that. He could read Keiko like a book, and Kuwabara of course... Kurama was another matter. He reminded Yusuke of that weird Russian nesting doll Keiko's mother had, with one doll right inside the other. He figured Kurama was the same way. Layer after layer, disguising his real emotions and feelings until you didn't know what to believe about the guy. Lost in thought, he had almost passed by the notice board on the side of the road until something caught his eye. He had to squint to read the old-timey kanji, but sure enough...

"Oh my god..." he laughed, ripping the piece of paper down. "Kuwabara, Kurama, you've gotta see this!"

"What is it?" Kuwabara walked over. Yusuke held up his prize with a grin. It was a print depicting a fearsome-looking fox demon, with writing beneath it that read 'Wanted: Demon bandit Youko Kurama. Very Dangerous. Destroy on Sight.'

"Who in the world could have put this here?" Kurama blinked in surprise.

"Don't remember your glory days, buddy?" Kuwabara laughed.

"To be fair, my 'glory days' lasted for quite a while," he said with the faintest hint of pride.

"I'm keeping this," Yusuke declared as he handed it to his friend. "Put this in your nerd-folder for safe keeping, and I might even let you have a copy."

"How generous of you," Kurama said dryly as he took the folder from his backpack. "You do realize that if I find this anywhere other than your house, Yusuke, it won't end well."

"Yeah yeah, I know," Yusuke rolled his eyes. "But how often do you find a wanted poster of your friend, huh? It's a piece of history!"

They kept walking for a while longer. Yusuke was starting to get bored with the monotonous scenery of 'dirt road with a forest on one side and a river on the other', when Kurama suddenly stopped.

"What's up?" He frowned. He couldn't sense any demon energy.

"We're not alone," Kurama said in a low voice.

As if on cue, there was a small explosion at their feet, releasing a cloud of acrid, stinging smoke. Kurama pulled the collar of his shirt over his nose and mouth.

"Don't breathe it in!" He called. "It's poisonous!"

"Now you tell me!" Kuwabara coughed. Yusuke scrubbed at his eyes to try and get them to stop hurting. He heard the sound of the rose whip, and began to feel a faint breeze. The cloud had dissipated, after Kurama had summoned his weapon and spun it quickly enough to create a small whirlwind.

"I didn't know you could do that," Yusuke blinked.

"I can do a lot of things," Kurama said nonchalantly. He suddenly lashed out with the whip, which halted the course of a large metal scythe that had been thrown in their direction.

"Someone's attacking us!" Kuwabara gasped.

"Come out and fight like a man!" Yusuke growled at the dense undergrowth. "Or I'll come in there after you!"

A teenage boy stepped out from the gloom, the scythe held in his hand.

"A demon slayer..." Kurama said softly. "Strange... I thought they had all been killed some years before."

"You were wrong," the boy said, his voice muffled by the mask he wore over the lower half of his face. "Your disguise may fool everyone else, but you might want your friends to call you by a different name, Youko Kurama."

"Nice going, Urameshi," Kuwabara hissed.

"How'd you know it's my fault, dumbass?" Yusuke scowled. "Look, kid, I know what I said. But this ain't Youko Kurama. You've got the wrong guy."

"He uses the same weapon and has the same name," the boy said. "That's enough evidence for me."

"Let me handle this, Yusuke," Kurama said softly. He strode forward, his whip at the ready. The boy tensed.

"You managed to sneak up on me," he said. "Well done. Not many can do that." He stopped several feet away from the demon slayer. "I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"And why should I answer to you?" The boy hefted his scythe again. "You'll have to kill me first!"

"Let's not be melodramatic," Kurama sighed. Yusuke suddenly realized a small crack had formed in the ground near his friend's feet. Was he planning something?

"I'm looking for someone," Kurama went on. "A woman. Have you seen anyone in the last few days that was strangely dressed?"

The demon slayer said nothing.

"Perhaps a half demon who travels with a priestess?" Kurama asked again. There was no answer, though the boy tightened his grip on his weapon.

"Fine," Kurama sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way."

Suddenly, dozens of vines burst forth from the ground all around the demon slayer's feet. He let out a yelp and lashed out at them with his scythe, but more continued to grow, wrapping around limbs and immobilizing him until he was hanging, upside down, at eye level with Kurama.

"Holy shit! When'd he do that?!" Kuwabara gasped.

"Hell if I know," Yusuke laughed as he drew closer.

"What are you going to do to me?" The boy asked in a low voice.

"Ask you some questions, like I said," Kurama said simply. "Then put you down. You can choose to go back to the town you came from, or try to fight me again and I'll drug you and leave you here in the road while my friends and I move on." He reached into his backpack and pulled out his folder again.

"Do you have a name, demon slayer?" He asked.

The boy still said nothing.

"Quit being a little bastard and answer a damn question for once!" Yusuke snapped, cracking his knuckles.

"I just want an answer as to whether or not you have seen this woman lately." Kurama pulled a picture from the folder and held it upside-down for the boy to see better. His eyes went wide.

"What kind of magic is that?" He asked.

"I'm from several centuries in the future," Kurama explained nonchalantly. "This is common where we're from."

"Wait..." The boy frowned. "So... you know Lady Kagome, don't you?"

Kurama blinked in surprise, then realized he'd pulled a photo out that was of himself, Tomoe and some high school friends at a karaoke night a few years before.

"I do, yes." This boy could see he was not a threat now. With a gentle motion of his hand, the vines righted the demon slayer and set him on his feet, though didn't let go. "Have you seen this woman, though?" He tapped the image of Tomoe in the photo.

The boy frowned.

"She's a demon, isn't she?" He asked. "With a disc-shaped weapon?"

"Hey, he's seen Momo!" Kuwabara grinned.

"Is she all right?" Kurama asked. "When did you last see her? In what direction was she going?"

Now it was the boy's turn to look smug.

"Let me go first, and I'll tell you," he said.

"Are you kidding? You tried to kill us!" Yusuke growled. To his surprise, Kurama did as the boy asked. The vines shrank back into the dirt.

The boy brushed himself off and calmly picked up his weapon again.

"She was heading north, I saw her two days ago," he said. "But, stranger, why did you let me attack you when you aren't Youko Kurama like I thought you were?"

"It is who I used to be," Kurama said simply. "I'm not a legendary bandit anymore."

"Yeah, he's one of the good guys, so lay off," Yusuke said firmly.

"Thank you for your help," Kurama said politely. "I never got your name."

The boy looked suddenly unsure, but stepped to the side to allow them to pass.

"It's Kohaku," he said. "My sister Sango is traveling with Lady Kagome and your friend. Give her my regards."

Kurama nodded, then motioned for Yusuke and Kuwabara to follow him.

"That was surprisingly painless..." Yusuke mused.

"And that brat just let us go? Just like that?" Kuwabara blinked.

"I have a feeling he'll be keeping an eye on us," Kurama said. "After all..." he replaced the photo in the folder, next to the wanted poster Yusuke had found. "With a reward as big as the one on this poster, it's in his best interest."


End file.
